Final Destination: Encore
by BTolson23
Summary: Book One of the World's End Chronicles. For Sabrina Holland, it had all happened before. She had seen an accident, saw the deaths of those around her as well as herself. This event scarred her, changed her, forced to become somebody new. Now, when she thinks she can settle down and finally be normal, she couldn't be more wrong. Death's gaze has turned towards her once more.
1. Prologue - The Cost Of Survival

**Prologue**

 **The Cost Of Survival**

Sabrina Holland stared up at the smog-stained sky, her mind trying to piece together the puzzle. Only moments before, the eighteen year-old had awoken from a dream she had already forgotten wondering why in the world she was laying back-first on what felt painfully like gravel. She could feel the small pieces of stone stick up into her back but her body just didn't feel like moving.

So instead she gazed at the black smog, admiring the way it folded in on itself before billowing outwards like an ocean of bleak blackness. As she stared, she realised that this smog could only come from something like a large fire. This realisation caused her to sit up suddenly. Her bright blue eyes widening at the carnage in front of her.

The source of the roiling smog was a collapsed two-story building, the east-facing wall the only evidence of how big the building had been. The blackness covered the majority of the ruined building, with the flickers of orange flames showing through only to be engulfed once again. Thrusting out of the darkness was the back-end of a ravaged petrol truck, its cylindrical truck-bed torn apart by the fire and flames. It was obvious to Sabrina that the building's collapse must have been due to the petrol tanker exploding.

Is that why she was on the other side of the road?

With this thought, Sabrina looked around her. She was indeed sitting on white gravel in what looked like somebody's driveway with a low wall to her left and the tall side of a house to her right. Debris was strewn all over the gravel of the driveway and the tarmac of the road; Broken bits of wood, wrenched pieces of stone, shards of shattered glass. Sabrina's eyes rested on the fire-eaten remains of a sign. The golden letters had been scorched and the metal it had been attached to was twisted around though the words could still clearly be read.

 _The Ferret Inn_

These words struck a chord with Sabrina. The Ferret Inn? Why was that so familiar?

Sabrina narrowed her eyes, concentrating on the sign, willing her memory to come back to her. It was… an event? Some kind of party? That's right, it _was_ a party! It was Sabrina's eighteenth birthday today and they had gone to the village of Lelant for the week, just off of St. Ives in Cornwall. Her parents had—

Her parents!

Bursting to her feet, Sabrina immediately regretted her impulsive actions. A tremendous wave of pain rushed up her body and her right leg buckled underneath her. Sabrina fell onto her hands and knees, gravel digging into her bare palms. She spat curses through her teeth as she twisted around back to her rear, gazing down in horror and repulsion at her right leg.

A great maw of red and pink was gouged out below her knee slowly oozing blood that stained the white gravel crimson. Sabrina shakily reached forward, plucking a piece of gravel out of the wound. This small action alone was enough to cause Sabrina to nearly scream. She threw the gravel away where it skittered among its brethren. She tried again but decided two was two too many.

"Mum…" Sabrina muttered, looking hopelessly at the bleak wreckage of the inn. "Dad…"

She couldn't just sit here. She had to find out, she had to see if her parents were… were…

Without letting her thoughts go any further, Sabrina reached to her left to grab the low stone wall, almost submerged in green-vined leaves. Gritting her teeth, Sabrina pulled as hard as she could, levering herself off of the gravel. She tried her best not to move her right leg, but nevertheless pain wracked itself through her body, almost enough to make her tumble back down again. Instead, she managed to keep a hold of the leaves, panting, cold sweat making its way down her warm face.

Awkwardly she hopped forward, her trainers pushing their way through the loose gravel, making her lose her balance. She caught herself but in the process bent her right leg. Her eyes watered as she hissed, taking a moment to regain her composure.

Sabrina's second hop was much more successful and she managed to make it to the end of the wall and the start of the road without moving her right leg much at all. However, the few metres of tarmac looked to all the world like a mile. There was no hand-hold to keep her supported. She wanted to give in there and then but when she thought of her parents she knew there was no way she could. Gritting her teeth, Sabrina let go of the wall and shakily hopped onto the road.

As she got closer to the destroyed inn Sabrina could feel the heat buffeting against her, trying to push her. She pushed back, making it halfway across the road.

The wind suddenly changed direction as if to spite Sabrina personally, sending the buffeting smog into her. Instantly Sabrina's eyes were watering, soot staining her face. Even this wouldn't stop her and Sabrina clawed her way through the smog, finally making it to the opposite sidewalk. She rested against a remnant of wall before letting out a small gasp as the stone crumbled. Sabrina hit the floor hard, scraping her elbows and causing a fresh pulse of pain to roar up her body.

This close to the floor, the smog was mostly above her. Sabrina could see through the darkness strange shapes on the floor. Narrowing her soot-covered eyes, she realised that they were corpses, twisted in grotesque ways as they succumbed to the flames. Their flesh was black and coarse, all hair burned away, the remnants of their clothes stuck to their crisped skin. Sabrina desperately reached across the floor and grasped the hot floor with her nails.

She let out a stubborn groan as she pulled herself across the scorched wooden flooring. The wound in her leg screamed at her but Sabrina silently screamed back, willing herself to move. To her right the looming corpse of the lorry stood resolute, grey and withered. She tried to use the metal undercarriage to help pull herself forward but the metal burned at her hands, refusing her attempts.

With much agony Sabrina finally made it to the first corpse. She knew it wasn't her parents. It was too small, too thin… and looked too much like a child. Sabrina closed her eyes, the scene almost too much for her. She pushed it down deep into the pit of her stomach and forced her eyes to open, staring at the other corpses.

Finally her eyes caught a faint glimmer of a reflection from a pair of glasses.

"…Dad?" Her voice came out a croak. She crawled her way over to the body, looking at it with damp eyes. The body was barely recognisable with the blackened, cracked skin and the twisted shape of its limbs. But the twisted remnants of those glasses, the glistening metal that was no doubt a watch on its wrist… Sabrina knew.

"Dad!" Her bottom lip quivered as she held her hands over her father's corpse. They shook vigorously as her mind flashed back to only hours before. Her father… A smiling man, an optimist, a man who took the effort to do well for his family. When Sabrina was young he would sit her on his lap and read her stories, holding the book out in front of her so she could see the pictures. He had upheld her honour when she just started school by confronting a pair of elder girls who seemed intent on ruining her school-life. He had been amusingly over-protective of her when she had made friends with a boy at fifteen who he assumed was her boyfriend… But he was always understanding, always smiling and now…? Now he was a chunk of charred flesh… No sign of the great man he had once been.

Sabrina shook wildly, her teeth chattering, her shoulders shaking. This was too much, too much, too much! She managed to roll onto her back in order to sit up, clutching her head in her hands. Her father was… he was gone, dead… he was…

 _"Where are you going, Sabrina?"_

He had been concerned for her and she had just blown him off, just like that…

 _"I'm just feeling a little light-headed. I'll back in a moment, I need some air."_

Light-headed… Light-headed! Sabrina tore her fingers down her face, eyes wide open. She had seen this! She had seen that lorry come hurtling down the hill, the brakes not working. She had seen the massive vehicle smash its way through the modest walls of the Ferret Inn. She had watched her father die before… She had… She had died herself… Crushed under the wheels of the lorry, pinned to the floor, unable to move. When it had exploded, it had taken a long while of suffering and pain before she was gone and the next moment she was back in the inn, at the table with her parents, with her father and…

"Mum!" Sabrina tore her hands away from her face to look wildly around her room. Surely there was a chance – the slimmest of chances – that… that…

But as soon as the thought occurred to Sabrina, it was soon thrown away. There, slumped against the lone standing wall, was a corpse. There wasn't any room for doubt on this corpse. The fire had torn through the woman's legs, charred and blackening them. But her upper half was still relatively in-tact. There were burns on the skin and the clothes were singed but she could still see the modest studded earrings, the freckles on her cheeks, the orange hair…

Disregarding the tear in her leg and the burns on her hands, Sabrina practically threw herself across the room to kneel in front of her mother's corpse, the pain in her leg nothing compared to that feeling in her chest of knowing that her mother and her father were… were gone…

"Please…." Sabrina pleaded faintly, cupping her mother's cheeks with her hands. Somehow, despite the fire raging and the heat all around, the skin was cold but still soft. "Please! Don't leave me alone! Don't… Don't do this!"

 _"If you're feeling unwell, we could leave, Sabrina."_

"I didn't mean… I didn't want… I couldn't know…" The tears were flowing down Sabrina's cheeks now, dripping against the blackened floor only to sizzle in the heat.

 _"No, no, it's okay. You guys stay here, I'll be fine. Probably just that glass of wine, heh. I'll be back in a moment."_

Sabrina fell back onto her rear, staring at her mother's motionless face. Her whole body was quivering, the tears spilling over her cheeks. Blood was oozing out of the gouge in her leg but Sabrina had no thoughts about that any more. She didn't feel any more physical pain. Instead, she clawed at her face slowly, dragging her nails down her cheeks.

"I… I saw this… I saw this! I… I could have saved you… I could have… done something, I could have… I could... I... I..." Suddenly, Sabrina laughed. It was a strange, gargled laugh. It was a laugh of someone truly gone. "Ha… I saw it… And I… Hah… Hah… Left you to die… It was me… Haha… This was my fault…" Sabrina's nails tore through her skin as she could only stare at her mother. Behind her, shadows were making their ways into the building but Sabrina didn't notice and didn't care. "I did this… Hahah… It was me… me… I… I killed you… Hahahaha! I killed you!"

The young woman was still laughing, crying, and madly murmuring as she had to be forcibly dragged from the inferno. She didn't even protest, didn't even fight. Just kept looking at her mother, even when the building was far out of sight.

* * *

 **A/N:- Well, well, well. How time flies. To think it's been around about two years since I stopped Encore in the middle of its run. The tides have finally turned and my heart wants to - needs to - write again, so here we are for the first story of my Project Phoenix (Something you can read more about on my profile). It feels really, really good to back at this and the last thing I want is to disappoint my readers again which is why, as of publishing this chapter, the entire story has already been written. Yep, that's right. There will be no excuse for delays, no excuse for late chapters, since they are already done.**

 **I will be submitting twice a week, on Mondays and on Thursdays, starting on the 6th of April. Look forward to an adventure like no other in the first book of the World's End Chronicles - Final Destination: Encore!**


	2. The Blame Game

**Chapter One**

 **The Blame Game**

"He'll _be_ here, I promise."

Eddy Cool paced around his small, well-organised office, running his left hand through his blonde hair while his right hand held a phone to his ear. Eddy's white three-piece suit gave the man an aura of authority, though his pleasant facial features belied a man who has enjoyed his years with happiness. He moved around his office with an air of familiarity, a place he had visited as often as his own home. He could head anywhere within the room with his eyes closed, no questions asked. He could go to the south window, avoiding the low glass coffee table. He could sit on his desk chair without hitting the thick wooden desk itself. He could even head to the small door in the corner which led into an equally small bathroom within knocking into the coat-rack.

"Dave, please… please. No, I don't mean to interrupt you, but… yes… I understand…" Eddy bit his lip in irritation and leaned down to the computer monitor set up on his desk as an annoyed voice spoke loudly in his ear. Seeing a familiar error message, he crouched down and peered at the display on his printer.

"Have I ever disappointed you?" Eddy played his trump card as he smacked the printer with the palm of his hand. This was enough to make it kick back up and start printing out the forms Eddy had been getting ready for a client.

Whenever Dave Yalton called with an issue, he would always run down his opinion on Eddy. It was Eddy's fault, always. That was until Eddy said those five words. For Eddy Cool had never let down his boss in all of his twenty years on the job. Every band they had hired, Eddy had made them. Every solo artist looking to put their name out into the world, Eddy had helped them out. Every top superstar who needed a stage big enough for their millions of fans, Eddy had stood at that stage and introduced them.

After a few seconds of silence on the other side of the phone, Eddy sat down in his chair and slowly span around with the tip of his toe. "Dave, I understand where you're coming from. Bridge is, at the best of times, childish, unresponsive and about as hard to get a hold of as a pregnant nun. But I am one of the _very_ rare people he will even deal with. I introduced him to Razor's Edge. I set him up when he left 'em."

Eddy stood back up and walked across the room, grabbing his coffee cup from its place on the low glass table, taking a sip and blanching at the cold liquid. He swallowed with difficulty and placed the cup back down to respond to Dave. "I know it's been seven years since anyone has heard hide or hair of him, but he contacted me a week ago Dave, I told you. He wants a return concert. You know it's near impossible to set anything up in that time. I could have set up a stadium, that'd be easier. But no, he needed somewhere smaller… Somewhere more personal. The cost of the tickets alone… Christ."

Eddy shook his head, still marvelling at the demands made by the mysterious superstar known as Bridge. "I know, Dave. If he doesn't show, it'll be the end of us. We'd lose millions. But we won't. Of all the things Bridge is, he is honest – almost to a fault. He has never let me down, not even once. He'd disappoint hundreds of managers but he always showed up for me. I'll gamble my livelihood on this."

Eddy rolled his eyes at Dave's response and pulled one of the blinds on his window down, peering out into the early morning London street. It was bustling with early risers – on their way to work, walking their dogs, jogging, simply going from A to B. "Trust me, Dave. He'll be here. And at the end of today if you hear Eddy Cool has hung himself, then you know he didn't show." Eddy let out a laugh. "You'll hear from me later. I got a big day."

Eddy got ready to hang up but Dave started to say something else. Eddy narrowed his eyes and heard a soft knock at the door. He turned to see his receptionist poking his head through the door. Eddy quickly mouthed 'one moment'. The receptionist withdrew his head with a small nervous nod.

"That's tomorrow. I just printed out the forms now..." As if on cue, the chugging of the printer suddenly increased before letting out a high-pitched squeal and shutting down completely. Eddy gripped the phone so tight that his flesh grew pale. "Mother..." It took all his effort not to let out a string of tangents across the phone. "I swear Dave, I need a new printer. This things gonna kill me one day." Eddy crouched down once more and slapped the printer. It gave a weak gasp. Eddy smacked it again, harder, forcing it to start chugging.

"Adam Collins seems like a good draw. The man's never played for more than a hundred but I've heard him. He plays the guitar like a pro and has got a voice that can attract attention. If I can get that nervousness out of him, we may have the makings of a superstar. It's too early to tell really, but taking chances is the best way. If he doesn't work out, there is always a chance with The Miracle Skyhawks. Yes… Yes, I know they play out on the street but everyone's gotta start somewhere, right? I imagine they'd love to see how city life works here in London. Eastbourne is nothing compared to here."

As Dave continued to talk, Eddy groaned inwardly. He paced over to the door and knocked heavily. "Sorry to cut you off Dave, I got a meeting with a disgruntled wannabe musician I had to decline. He's not going to wait, you know how it is. See you later, boss. Yes, yes, he'll be here, I promise. Speak to you later."

Before Dave could get another word in, Eddy clicked the phone and threw it down on the nearest chair. The door opened and Lee, his receptionist, stood there quizzically.

"Did you need me?" Lee asked. He was a good guy. A little bit too cautious, but otherwise polite and a good choice for a receptionist. He would even stand up to any problem people. He had obviously gotten confused by the knocking on the door.

"Nah, it's okay. What did _you_ need, a second ago?"

"Oh, yeah, it's your gi—"

" _Meeting a disgruntled wannabe musician_ , eh?"

Eddy turned to the voice to his side where Felicity Jones had been waiting. She had her hands on her hips in mock irritation, but the smile on her face proved otherwise.

"Felicity, you look amazing as always."

"Sweet-talker." Felicity leaned forward to kiss Eddy on the lips. She grinned as Lee turned away, blushing. "I think he has a crush on me," she said, just loud enough for Lee to catch it.

Eddy shook his head and pulled her into his office, closing the door before saying, "That was just mean."

"Hey, the kid's cute." Felicity shrugged, almost instinctively picking up the discarded phone and placing it back on the handset. She was the sole reason Eddy's office was as neat and tidy as it was. "Careful, he might steal me away from you."

"I'd better fire him then," Eddy grinned, grabbing his coat from the back of his chair.

"Going somewhere?" Felicity raised an eyebrow.

" _We're_ going somewhere. Breakfast. Talking to Dave worked me up an appetite."

"Urgh…" Felicity pursed her lips. "Has he pulled that stick out of his ass?"

"Nope. It's so far up you'd have to reach into his mouth to pull it out." Eddy shook his head hopelessly. "He's worried about the Bridge situation."

"Who wouldn't be. The man's a ghost at the best of times."

"Please…" Eddy put a hand to his forehead. "I've had enough of that this morning. I need to eat and distract myself from having a panic attack."

"If it's distractions you're looking for…" Felicity smiled seductively, her pretty blue eyes shining. She flicked the top button of her shirt open and moved closer to Eddy, pecking him on the cheek. "I'm sure breakfast can wait…"

Eddy smiled again and gently pushed Felicity back. "Now, now, not with Lee—"

"Don't be a prude. Maybe he'll peek in the keyhole and enjoy the show." With that, Felicity shoved Eddy into the nearest seat, locking lips, her hands running up and down his body, doing her best to get the stress out of Eddy.

* * *

Jason Ryan lay under the heavy covers of the bed in his hotel room, simply staring up at the white ceiling. He had been awake for the last thirty minutes but he hadn't found it in himself to start moving. Today was the day that had been encroaching for the last week and the day Jason had been dreading. By all intents and purposes, he should have been looking forward to it with fervour.

Bridge, the superstar who ruled the nation as the singer for Razor's Edge for six years. The man with enough presence that he was at the front of the posters on the first day he joined the then-fledgling band. They had sold out Wimbledon and had gone international. The speed and popularity of which was all due to the enigma that was Bridge. Seven years ago he had disappeared without even a word. There were rumours he was over in Japan practicing new song styles. However, there were also rumours he was down in South America, up in Jason's home country of Canada, across the border in Wales, in the forests of Asia, or taking a sabbatical in the Himalayas. He was seen as much as Bigfoot and had even less evidence for each sighting.

Then the advertising had blown across English airwaves and soon after international ones. The return of Bridge at the Epsilon Concert Hall. Tickets selling for upwards to nearly one-thousand pounds if you wanted to get a front-row seat. Even with the price of the tickets, they had started selling instantly.

The simple fact that Jason's parents had managed to get a hold of one of these precious tickets, let alone an international flight from Canada was downright mystifying. It wasn't that they were short on money – in fact, his father was a nurse and his mother a teacher – it was that they had always been so careful with their funds. The price of those two tickets alone, not to mention the added costs of the hotel and even spending money… Jason didn't even want to think about their financial situation now.

He understood why they did it, all too well.

It was because of Maylene…

At even the thought of her name, Jason could feel his stomach constricting. He pushed his way out of his covers and stood up, shivering in the early morning chill. He had left the window open all night – it helped him sleep and ignore the nightmares, not that it had helped today.

Jason walked to his cupboard and pulled out a pair of jeans and a shirt, throwing them on without a thought. He looked at the mirror on the inside of the door and couldn't even recognise the person that stared back at him.

Dishevelled hair stood up in tufts and stubble stretched across his jaw. His eyes were ringed with black and looked like they had seen the worst the world could give him. In truth, they had seen just that.

Once more Jason's thoughts drifted to Maylene and once more he had to walk away from them. Grabbing his wallet he left the hotel room without a second thought. The Premier Inn hotel was just a block away from the Epsilon Concert Hall and a brisk walk would be good to distract his thoughts, even if it was nowhere near the start of Bridge's return concert.

The wind was blowing leaves down the street as Jason stepped out onto the sidewalk. The heavy shiver was welcome as he rubbed his arms. He turned right and started to walk slowly up to the corner.

London was strange to him even after four days here. In his home-town all that ways away the buildings were low and modest. Here, the buildings were tall and showed history. The stone was old in this part of London, with the occasional glass building which looked futuristic when compared to the Victorian-age structures.

Maylene had always wanted to come to London.

He tried to block his mind but it was just too hard. Especially so close to the anniversary of her death.

Maylene was the love of his life, the woman he had thought to spend the rest of his life with, to have a family with, to live in happiness. But life had a way of throwing curve balls left, right and centre.

One year previously, Jason had come home from work, thinking it was going to be a day like any other. He would come home, throw his coat on the rack, greet Maylene with a kiss and start making dinner so they could sit down and talk about the day. Instead he had been greeted by only silence. He had looked in the living room – nothing. He had looked in the bedroom – nothing. Then he looked in the bathroom and for a moment everything went black – and then clear as crystal.

The image of Maylene swinging from the roof, her neck uncomfortably taught, her eyes rolled into the back of her head, had seared onto Jason's brain. The first month he had been in shock. He could barely function, barely eat, barely bathe himself. His job had given him a paid leave in understanding but after that month was up and Jason didn't show, they had no choice but to let him go. His parents had took care of him then.

Then they had finally shown him the letter, explaining that they didn't think he was in the right state of mind at first. Jason had read the words again and again, unable to believe what Maylene had written down.

She had _blamed_ her death on him. She claimed that Jason hadn't given her what she needed and wouldn't listen to her problems.

This had enraged Jason at first. He locked himself in his room and smashed anything and everything in sight. He had starved himself and quite honestly wanted to die. It took his father to break into the room in order for Jason to finally stop and think. Even then, it was only after he struck his father that changed his mind.

Jason had never done something like that before and seeing his father on the floor made him realise what he had done and how selfish he had acted. But even so he found it hard to come downstairs and eat with his family. Heading outside had been a challenge. Going back to work and asking if he could apply for his job again took immense courage. Slowly, carefully, he began piecing his life back together. But every time he thought Maylene's name, he saw her swinging.

And over that image, the letter read out in her disembodied voice:-

 _This is your fault, Jason. You killed me._

* * *

 _ **A/N:- The character of Jason Ryan (and Maylene) is credited to A Mosaic Masterpiece.**_


	3. With Friends Like These

**Chapter Two**

 **With Friends Like These**

The road that circled Green Lion Square was packed with cheerful laughter and conversation, full of expectation and almost child-like excitement. Fans from all over England – with more than a few from around the world – had gathered in front of the Epsilon Concert Hall in preparation for the glass doors to open. Groups were seeking one another, double and triple checking that they had their tickets; They were far too valuable to lose.

To think that Bridge, the enigma who single-handedly led Razor's Edge to the very top of the charts, had returned after seven years was almost too good to believe. There was no doubt that he was one of the biggest draws that the Epsilon Hall had seen in nearly all its time in London and that it would be packed tight with fans.

The Hall had seen its fair share of superstars already. It had seen the rise of the Classical Cellist, Emma Fischer. It had played host to Charlie Walker while he was on tour from America. The heartfelt messages from Elijah Freemon had rang out over that stage. It was truly a birthplace of the musical immortals.

"Why does there always have to be queue's?" One voice among many cried out, impatiently pacing back and forth.

Corey Walker glanced from out from under his beanie and his fringe of dark hair. "It couldn't be that, y'know, there are thousands of people here?" Corey grinned as he tried to rub the chill out of his arms. "It's just a guess…" Corey was one in a group of four who couldn't believe their luck when the tickets of Bridge's return broke the news. He could still hardly believe they had managed to get tickets with how popular Bridge was. Even though he was barely a teenager at Bridge's musical height, Corey could remember Razor's Edge's songs playing over the radio at home or at school. Even in those six years Bridge had left mysteriously, his voice could be heard everywhere he went.

"Psh…" James Mayfair crossed his arms. "That's no excuse." James was the tallest of the group and the cockiest. He was never without a crude joke or a jibe. He may have been loud, foolish, and somewhat ignorant but he was honest to a fault. He was also the oldest of the group – even at just a month – but it was something he absolutely loved to brag about at every chance he got.

"To be fair, we are early," Gordon Butler shrugged. Gordon was perhaps the sole reason they were able to get the tickets when they did. Both parents were top-of-the-line chefs and he himself worked in their kitchens. He had been the one to buy the four tickets and ask them if they wanted to come later. That's how important – and how quick - the tickets had sold.

"I do hope they'll open the doors soon, though," Corey looked up to the sky. "It's grey and cold. I wouldn't be surprised to see snow."

"Hah!" James rolled his eyes. "Snow? Don't be optimistic. If anything, we'll get rain. If not, we'll get more rain."

"Hang on," Standing taller than most of the heads on the packed street, Corey could peer at the glass front of the Epsilon Concert Hall. "I think – They're starting to let people in."

"Finally!" James grinned and reached into his pocket to pull out his ticket, looking at it with glee. "This is gonna be a night to remember!"

"Put that away before it blows away," Gordon said. "If you lose that, you're going to be the one paying me back."

"Don't be silly," James clapped Gordon on the arm with a grin. "I can't afford to pay you back."

"Onwards, fellas. Onwards." Corey forcibly shoved James forward as the crowd started to move. Gordon followed suit but the last of their group remained standing looking at his phone, his fingers a blur. Corey sighed and shook his head. "Hey, earth to Carl… Carl…?"

"Hey, numb-nuts!" James punched Carl in the arm – hard. Carl's eyes shot up with his phone and stared daggers.

"What is it? Are you finally done complaining about the weather?" Carl, while the most anti-social of the group, was also the smartest. He may have been glued to his phone for the majority of the trip but Carl has been the one to get everyone to leave earlier. If they hadn't, they would have been far, far at the back of the mass of people.

Corey often liked to say that their little group of friends worked like a game of rock-paper-scissors and that was what made them gel so well together. Gordon's seriousness worked to quell James aggressiveness. James' own boisterousness helped Carl talk and grow as a person. Carl's knowledge with technology would always help Corey out – who was working on his computing a-levels – and Corey's happy-go-lucky attitude would let Gordon break out a smile every now and again.

The four of them had completely different attitudes and were raised in different ways. Corey was the most normal of the four – his parents had done their best to raise him. As long as Corey could remember, they had been all smiles. He had heard them argue behind closed doors, of course but they had never let Corey be in the room when they did argue, something he was immensely grateful for. There was nothing as sad as hearing parents argue.

Carl's mother had passed away when he was young. His father – a salesman – had struggled trying to make ends meet and cope with Carl's intellect. Gordon had been under the immense pressure of having two parents who were some of the best at what they did. That pressure forced him to grow in their field with no option outside of cooking.

James was the one who often was vocal that if it wasn't for Carl, Gordon and Corey that he would be in prison or dead. His was unfortunately quite a common story in the poorer parts of London. A drunk father and a mother than would rather slap him to keep him quiet than teach him the vital lessons a boy would need. Instead, he grew up by rebelling against any and all authorities.

Nevertheless, Corey couldn't ask for better friends. They had his back and he had there's, always.

* * *

The black motorcycle traveled down the A301 north of the center of Waterloo. The 2014 Triumph Speed Triple ABS showed that it had been well-used ever since it had been bought. There were more than a few small scratches from various minor crashes in its history. The front wheel-cover had been chipped from when a car had reversed into it. The tires themselves were worn and probably ought to be replaced soon. Despite the small amounts of damage, it was clear that the bike was loved.

The Triumph was hosting two riders. The driver was male, his baggy clothes shaking in the wind. He wore a black helmet that was as well-used as the Triumph itself. Sitting behind the driver with her arms around his waist was a female in a somewhat ugly pale green helmet that had been bought cheap. The helmet did have a sentimental value, though.

They passed across the Waterloo Bridge crossing the Thames and continued on into the Strand Underpass. The engine echoed through the small cramped tunnel before they emerged onto the Kingsway, lined with trees that were guarding the street. After a minute they turned left onto High Holborn, then right onto Southampton and right once more onto Vernon. Finally one more right and left took them into the packed Green Lion Square.

Both driver and passenger cocked their heads at the crowd as they passed through slowly, taking care to avoid any stray civilians. They passed right by the square and continued down the road until they could find a spot to stop. Thankfully, riding a motorcycle meant they could squeeze into the smallest gaps and the driver quickly pulled into one not too far from Green Lion Square.

Trenton Ferris pulled off his helmet and shivered as the wind brushed past his hair. He frowned, licking the inside of his lower lip where a single stud had been pierced. "…I guess you were right." At eighteen years old, Trenton had forged a role for himself that suited him just fine. Black eye-liner circled his dark grey eyes making him seem particularly mysterious. Along with his hoody that had been zipped up tight to protect against the wind, he wore a pair of loose-legged pants that were worn intentionally at the knees. Tightening the trousers around his waist was a black and silver studded belt with a silver chain that shuddered back and forth in tune with the wind.

"Of course I was right," Meagan Thompson playfully punched her friend on the arm. Her blonde hair fluttered in the wind, revealing died blue strands underneath which made her look almost mystical. Meagan wore a pair of red jeans with a pair of solid black boots that she would never been seen without. Another pair of black bands curved about her wrists, matching the choker that curled around her thin neck. Her black t-shirt hugged her frame snugly, complete with a skull imprinted in the middle. "What was it I said, Trent? Hm?"

When Trenton didn't respond Meagan just smirked at him. "If we leave early, we'll miss the long queues. We'll be fine, you said." Meagan motioned down the street where the queue ended, though was moving slightly forward. "Now it's going to be ages until we get in."

"I'll accept defeat on this one, Meg." Trenton sighed, running a hand through his hair. "We better get in before more people show up."

"I wouldn't be surprised if we were the last people from the length of that queue."

With that, the two of them moved forward, leaving their helmets in a custom carrier on the back of the Triumph.

Meagan and Trenton had been best friends for as long as either of them could remember. They had been thick as thieves since preschool, through primary, junior, and high school. They would have continued through A-levels together but both of them found they had learned all they could learn. Meagan had managed to get a job as a waitress – much to Trenton's amusement. Trenton himself worked as a customer assistant at a local store in order to get income until he figured out exactly what it was he wanted to do with his life.

Both of them had also decided to be roommates, since living together was a whole lot easier than trying to find a place individually. Much to their chagrin, both sets of parents believed the two of them had finally got together romantically, even though both weren't interested in the other in that way at all. Meagan had numerous flings in school which never amounted to anything after the male party realized that she required a lot of patience to deal with. Trenton himself had never had a girlfriend but wasn't particularly interested in getting one at this point in his life – a rarity for someone his age. He just wanted to concentrate in finding his place in life.

"This had better be worth it," Trenton said as the two of them reached the end of the line. "I had to cash in a couple of favors to get today off."

"Of course it's gonna be worth it," Meagan practically rolled her eyes. "Hello, I mean, Bridge? Come on, Trent, try not to sound as ignorant as you do, alright?"

"Yes, yes, I've heard all about Bridge." Trenton shook his head. "As you are always so eager to remind me. I'm just not sure he's my thing."

"Not your thing? You're a rocker, aren't you? Bridge is the epitome of rock with his own enigmatic twist on music. If you watched those DVD's from when he was in Razor's Edge you'd understand the power of his music. Why was it you didn't watch those? Eh?"

"Please, don't start this again," Trenton shook his head with a small smile.

"Oh yeah. _Didn't have time_." Meagan crossed her arms. "You never did watch them, even though I know they are still under the TV. This time you are gonna see the Phenom that is Bridge and you _will_ enjoy his music."

"I _might_ enjoy his music," Trenton corrected.

"You _will_!" Meagan insisted. "Besides…" Meagan suddenly frowned, a shiver running up her spine. She clutched her elbows as her eyes narrowed. Trenton glanced at her, concerned.

"You alright?"

"Hrm…" Meagan looked around, unnerved. "I'm not sure…"

"A bad feeling?" Trenton queried.

"Maybe…"

"You want to go?" Trenton asked seriously. If there was one thing you had to understand about Meagan Thompson, it was that you take her feelings seriously. So many people had dismissed Meagan's 'feelings' as just make-believe but one hundred percent of the time Meagan's feelings had led into something bad – or indeed, good, depending on the feeling – happening. Trenton observed Meagan's face go pale and knew that whatever feeling it was that she had it was particularly bad.

"Nah," Meagan forced a deep breath. "Today was far too expensive to just give it up," Meagan forced a pained smile. "We'll take it as it goes. I'll see how I feel as we go on, alright?" She shook her arms out and her smile turned more natural. "Now, let me educate you on Bridge and just what it is you'll love about him."

Trenton shook his head again. "Okay, here it comes…"

* * *

 _ **A/N:- Corey Walker is credited to Grojbandian180 while Meagan Thompson & Trenton Ferris are credited to Lily the Vocaloid.**_


	4. Gut Feelings

**Chapter Three**

 **Gut Feelings**

The smile that wrapped around the face of Ruby Ascot was one that couldn't be matched. She was beaming around the concert hall, taking it all in. It was the first time she had been to somewhere as big as this – she was used to small clubs and bars where bands would play in the corner. This… This was something different. Something amazing.

Out of all the varieties of the crowd, Ruby still managed to stick out like a rose in a field of daffodils. Her hair was bright pink all the way through to the roots, drawing in all kinds of strange looks. She wore a faded t-shirt she had gotten in a store almost five years before with the cracked words 'Pantheon' written above an image of a band dressed in Roman armour. If you were to see her on the streets or at home, she would never be seen without her smile. Ruby was a firm believer in being happy all of the time since there was just not enough of it to be unhappy.

"You look like a kid," a feminine, yet measured, voice said from beside Ruby, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Ruby turned to face her close friend. Her blonde hair was tied up into a tight pony-tail and her bright blue eyes hid the fact that she had seen far more than a girl her age should have. Dressed in a simple denim jacket over a white t-shirt with a pair of blue jeans, Sabrina Holland smiled and crossed her arms. "I'm glad to see you are enjoying yourself."

"Are you kidding!? Of course I'm enjoying myself and it hasn't even started yet!" Ruby plopped down in her seat next to Sabrina. "This is absolutely amazing." She peered down at the crowd gathering below their seats on the rise. The majority of the seats had been filled after the long wait outside in the windy weather. Now only a trickle of people were entering the concert hall to find their seats.

Sabrina watched her friend look around like a child in a sweet shop and couldn't help but feel envious of the bubbly girl. Despite the smile she had on her lips, Sabrina could feel her stomach tightening. It had been a long time since she had been in a crowd of any kind. Ruby had been trying to take her to a music show for a long time now but Sabrina had always resisted. When Bridge's return was announced, Ruby had been so giddy that Sabrina couldn't bring herself to ruin the opportunity for the pink-haired girl. She was the type of girl who would have stayed with Sabrina to keep Sabrina happy, even if that meant sacrificing something that meant the world to her.

Having a friend like Ruby was something Sabrina had never expected, especially after all that happened to her. It almost felt like the world was apologizing to her for all it had done to wrong her, giving her someone who was simply a good person with no strings attached.

They had met two years ago by pure chance. Sabrina had been in one of the worst places since the incident at the Ferret inn. She had been rummaging through some skips behind a supermarket, looking for some wasted food that she could eat. Ruby had been walking past and for whatever reason decided to stop by and talk to Sabrina.

In that conversation alone, Sabrina had learned just who Ruby was. A kind-hearted young woman who wished the best for any and everyone. She had offered to give Sabrina a hot meal but she couldn't help but be suspicious of this far-too friendly girl. She had declined and spent the night in her regular spot in a wrecked warehouse near the supermarket.

The next night she had gone to look for food again but this time found Ruby waiting for her, a great big smile plastered on her face. She had brought home-made sandwiches and had offered Sabrina one. Ruby had talked enough for two that evening, happily explaining to Sabrina that life will always throw you curve-balls, but you can always make the best of the situation. Once more she had offered to take Sabrina home for a hot meal. Once more Sabrina had to decline. It just didn't feel right to accept this kindness, not after Jake…

It was the third night that Sabrina had decided to trust this strange bubbly girl. Not only had she eaten the first hot meal in months, but she had also been offered the sofa to sleep on. From there Ruby insisted that Sabrina live with her. That offer alone was unbelievable. How could this girl just bring in a stranger like her into her home and say 'Come live with me, come on, what could it hurt?' Maybe it was because she was a similar age unlike many of the homeless who were much older. Maybe it was because Ruby was a little bit crazy. Perhaps it was a bit of both.

"Lost in the depths of your mind, eh?"

Sabrina shook her thoughts away and looked back to Ruby. "Sorry."

"No need to be sorry," Ruby grinned. "The fact that I got you here is enough for me. I mean just look at this place." Ruby gestured around the room. "Can't you just feel the electric in the air."

With a soft smile, Sabrina nodded. In truth, she felt like she was in a sea of the unknown. She felt too unprotected with the walls crushing against her, even though the hall was wide and open. However, Sabrina didn't want to ruin this for Ruby. After all she had done for her, it would be entirely selfish of her to simply up and leave; Though the tightening of her stomach continued unhindered.

"Bridge certainly knows how to make an atmosphere," Ruby continued, looking around the concert hall. It seemed every wall had been covered in deep purple and black drapes, spilling from the roofs and the two tiers of seats that ringed the hall above. The large stage at the front of the hall was blocked by a pair of heavy obsidian curtains, that would open when Bridge was ready to start his performance. Ruby was well aware that one of the main reasons Razor's Edge had been so huge during her childhood was the way Bridge made everything seem so intense. Their music videos became works of art and their songs started to tell stories. "Listening to Bridge is like reading a masterpiece of a novel." Ruby looked to Sabrina and her smile faltered slightly. "Sabrina?"

"Hm?" Sabrina looked at Ruby.

"You look pale…" Ruby reached forward and placed the back of her hand against Sabrina's forehead. "You're burning up as well."

"I'm fine."

"Nope. Not one bit." Ruby stood up. "I'm sorry I pushed you into this. I knew crowds made you nervous. We can go if you like, I don't mind, honestly."

"It's fine," Sabrina insisted as she also stood up. She sighed and closed her eyes. "I'll just go to the restroom, throw water on my face. This is something you've been looking forward to Ruby. I'm not going to ruin it for you."

"Who cares about me?" Ruby offered a helping hand around Sabrina's waist to support her, clearly seeing her unstable legs. "This will be recorded anyway, so I can watch it online or on TV."

"That's not the point," Sabrina said, grimacing. The feeling in her stomach was worse than she had thought. The two of them climbed the set of stairs near their seats to reach the main level. They passed through a few stragglers from the crowd outside who were seeking their seats and entered the restroom. Sabrina immediately went over to the sinks and breathed out a shaky breath.

In the relative private confines of the white walls, Sabrina let the grimace pass over her face. She let the water out of the tap and dipped her hands in, relishing the cold feeling. She quickly splashed it over her face, taking the cold water in with a sigh.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Sabrina waited a moment to reply as a lady exited the stall. She glanced at them strangely, quickly washing her hands before disappearing.

"Give me a moment, Ruby." Sabrina frowned as an old memory of pain lanced up her leg. She resisted the urge to grab at the old wound so as not to worry her friend any more than she had already.

The door to the restroom opened again and a strange blur of a girl went straight for a stall and let the door shut behind her. Ruby and Sabrina exchanged bemused glances. Almost straight after the door opened again and a young male staff member popped their head in. At the sight of Ruby and Sabrina at the sinks his cheeks grew red.

"Sorry, sorry, my bad." Without another word he disappeared, his cheeks now bright.

"Huh. We're just standing by the sinks. What did he think we were doing?" Ruby shook her head. "Men can be strange creatures, can't they?"

Sabrina nodded, trying to force the knot in her stomach to disappear.

The stall opened again and the girl popped out. She took a moment to pause and nod a smile at Sabrina and Ruby. "Thanks for not ratting me out, guys." This girl was dressed strangely, wearing a black jacket that seemed too big for her with the image of an eagle emblazoned on the back in small sequins. She seemed the perfect image of a punk-rock chick with her tartan skirt over black-and-white stockings, which disappeared under a thick pair of black boots with different coloured laces. The t-shirt under the jacket was ripped just above the belly button, revealing a surprisingly toned stomach.

Her hair drew the most attention, though. The long blonde mane had been styled into multiple braids that had been swept behind her head. In each braid a different coloured wire ran through it, giving the girl a unique atmosphere. Her bright blue eyes glinted with mischief and seemed to fester some kind of intelligence as well.

"Didn't have a chance to before he left," Ruby said with a raised eyebrow, forcing herself to concentrate back on the girl's eyes. "What have you done to make the staff look for you?"

"Secrets," the girl grinned and disappeared out as quick as she had entered.

"Strange," Ruby watched the door swing shut. She shook her head a moment and turned back to Sabrina. "What do you want to do, Sabrina?"

After another breath, Sabrina forced a smile and looked to Ruby. "I'm good now. Just a bit of nerves. You know how it is. Let's head back, we wouldn't want to miss Bridge's entrance."

* * *

It had been surprisingly easy to get into the Epsilon Concert Hall. All it had taken was to distract the man standing at the back door with a well-thrown aluminium can. Like the dumb ape that he looked, he had gone over to investigate and all Lily Talbot needed to do was slip inside the door. Her black-sequined jacket glinted in the faded lamps outside the door as she disappeared through the doorway.

Once inside, Lily immediately turned right and slinked over to the corner like a cat, crouching behind a couple of wooden pallets. This room must have been used for deliveries and there were two people moving plastic-wrapped supplies from a metal trolley and carrying them down a small corridor which presumably led into some kind of cafeteria or kitchen area. Occasionally, a suited man would pop down to check on the two men, apparently some kind of manager.

Lily waited patiently as the suited man disappeared again. She immediately followed the wall to the opposite corner and sneaked past the two men while their backs were turned to follow the man down the hall. He was oblivious to her silent steps as he flicked on his phone and gave some kind of update to someone. Lily didn't worry about listening and slipped into another doorway. This one led into what seemed to be a staff room, judging by the cold grey designs and the stagnant smell of smoke. Wrinkling her nose, Lily cast her gaze to the corner and grinned at the stairway.

"Have you seen him yet?"

"Nope. I hope Mr. Cool knows what he's doing."

At the two voices, Lily quickly looked for a place to hide. Spotting a cupboard she quickly hopped up and grabbed the edge with her fingers. The cupboard wobbled but otherwise supported Lily's surprisingly light weight. With hidden strength Lily hoisted herself up and crouched atop the cupboard, her head brushing the ceiling. She tucked herself in tight and didn't move so as not to attract an errant gaze; Though the two staff members who appeared out of the stairway weren't paying any attention to their surroundings at all.

"It'll be a shit storm if Bridge doesn't show. All these people? Christ, I don't even want to think about having to explain to them why the concert is cancelled. I've half a mind to run away now."

"Mr. Cool assured Oliver this morning that Bridge would show. Maybe he's already here?"

"Without us seeing or anyone causing a fuss? We've been backstage the whole day, practically. There isn't any way we're missing a seven-who-knows-what tall man like him." One of the staff members sat down with her back to the wall, pulling a mobile from her pocket and looking at the screen. "Coffee – two sugars, little milk,"

"As always," the male staff member replied as he turned to open the cupboard. Lily remained as still as a gargoyle as the doors swung upon and the man pulled out two cups. He closed the cupboard and started walking to the counter. With his back turned and the lady looking at her phone, Lily chose this moment to drop off the side of the cupboard, quickly tucking herself where the cupboard met the wall in case she had been seen. Neither of the two staff were paying any attention, though. With the littlest of sounds, Lily crept into the stairway.

She didn't pause to look around as she ascended the concrete stairs. Lily kept her ears trained for any sound but heard nothing other than a faint murmuring that could only be from the crowd gathering in the hall only a few walls away. Lily moved all the way to the top, stopping at the last stairway which led to the roof. She opened the door of the top floor into another grey corridor. She quickly moved right, heading for a faded crimson door. As Lily pushed this one open, she was immediately hit with an onslaught of noise as thousands of people talked between one another. She took a moment to take in the sight from her position on the top tier of the concert hall before moving again.

Lily straightened her posture up here with the crowd, doing her best to make it as if she belonged. As far as any of these people up here knew, she had a ticket just like them. She passed behind the cheap seats to the end, where she knew another stairway would be leading down, this one public. Lily frowned somewhat as she noticed a staff member standing by the stairs. She made her face casual as she strolled by, giving him a little nod.

Thinking she had gotten away with it, Lily moved down the stairs for two floors until she was on the ground floor of the hall in the black draped outskirts.

"Excuse me!"

The voice came from above. Lily didn't waste a moment and slipped away down the back of the hall, gently sliding her way through the sparse crowd that were still coming through the through the main doors in the middle of the back of the hall. Lily spared a glance behind her to see the staff member approaching, looking nervous as if he wasn't too sure on what the procedures were for a potential trespasser. Lily quickly turned sharply and pushed her way into the female restrooms.

There were only two other women inside but Lily gave them no mind as she hopped into the nearest stall. She put her ear against the door and listened as the room's door opened. She heard the footsteps screech to a halt and heard:- "Sorry, sorry, my bad…" followed by the door opening and closing once more.

Lily kept listening for a moment. "Huh. We're just standing by the sinks. What did he think we were doing? Men can be strange creatures, can't they?"

Feeling relatively safe, she popped out of the stall again and looked at the two women. "Thanks for not ratting me out, guys."

The bright pink-haired one looked at Lily with a raised eyebrow. "Didn't have a chance to before he left. What have you done to make the staff look for you?"

Lily grinned. "Secrets," she said and quickly pushed her way out of the toilets.

Once out, the man was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps reporting to his manager but that was perfect for Lily.

She made her way back down the side of the hall, hopping down the occasional step she met along the way. Above her she could hear the footfalls of the people on the first tier. As Lily passed, she didn't take any notice of the grey dust occasionally floating from the stone floor of the tier. As she reached one of the doors that led into the backstage area, Lily walked straight through as if she belonged.

The fact that Bridge had given very little warning to when his concert was being held meant that most of the staff had been hired quickly. So no one gave Lily a second glance as she moved through the backstage area. Perhaps they thought she was some kind of stylist considering her unique look. She looked left and right as she walked, seeing everyone rushing around to get things done. A snippet of conversation as she passed two men messing with a massive light fixture.

"I think… I think this wire's loose-"

"We _can't_ postpone anything, Elliot, got that? You get that wire in and don't worry about a thing."

"But-"

"No buts! First it was the fixtures, then the bulbs, now this – fix it before Bridge starts, got it!?"

Finally she saw the door she was looking for. A plaque read 'Dressing Room'. Even though there were no other words, Lily could feel it in her heart that this was where Bridge was.

"Finally…" Lily cast a quick glance left and right but no one was paying any attention. She quickly opened the door and slipped inside, a wide grin on her face.

* * *

 _ **A/N:- Ruby Ascot is credited to gotthealphainme, Lily Talbot is credited to Yajuu_Kikuishi**_


	5. Luxuria

**Chapter Four**

 **Luxuria**

The enigmatic superstar called Bridge sat on the chair in his dressing room, eyes closed with his feet propped up on the dressing table. Everything was as ready as he needed for the concert, despite all the rushing around of the ants outside. His instruments had been set up on stage, ready for his one-man-band performance. The drums would be at the back of the stage, the bass to the left, guitar to the right and the microphone stand directly in front.

He was already wearing the clothes he would be wearing on stage, even though it wasn't any different to the clothes he would usually wear. A pair of knee-length leather boots with thick soles and metal clasps running up the front were fitted over a pair of tight leather trousers. A metal-linked belt ran around his waist and three small metal icons hung from varying lengths of small chain – one a pair of metal fangs, another was the shape of cross-hairs and the final one was a pair of miniature swords. A leather vest with metal clasps hugged his lean, stretched torso. On top of this all he wore an ankle-length leather duster coat with the collar popped up to near the edges of his mouth.

Bridge's physical appearance was as peculiar as the attire he wore. His shoulder-length black hair had been swept back and tucked behind his ears. Running down the left side of his face were three thin braids that hung at different levels – eye, mouth, and collar bone. Each braid had three, five, and seven coloured beads respectively, which lightly clattered together whenever he walked. Finally he had put in red snake-eye contacts over his usually mossy green eyes just to finish off his mysterious look. There was a reason why people called him the enigma.

He heard the door softly open and close behind him.

"I'll be ready when I'm ready. The people will wait," Bridge said, presuming Eddy had entered the room with yet another one of his frequent updates.

"They'll probably get impatient eventually." A feminine voice spoke out.

Bridge opened one eye and looked at the mirror in front of him and saw a figure he certainly did not want to see standing behind him, grinning from ear to ear like the Cheshire cat.

"No." Bridge suddenly stood up straight, his usually calm face screwing up in irritation. He stood his full seven feet and two inches, his head near to brushing the ceiling. "No," he repeated, staring down at Lily Talbot. "What in the _hell_ are you doing here?"

"I wouldn't miss your return, would I?" Lily said innocently. "What did you expect?"

"How did you even get in here? I'll call security."

"Heheh… You won't call security. You wouldn't risk your image being ruined, would ya?" Lily quickly stepped forward and set on his chair, spinning around with her feet.

Bridge's eyebrow twitched and he leaned forward to come practically nose to nose with her.

"I would have thought seven years would be long enough for you to forget about me. I do not need to deal with a wannabe stalker like yourself today. So I suggest you leave-"

"Leave?" Lily's grin grew wider. "Or what? Hm?" She quickly got off the seat and popped up to sit on the dressing table. "What would you do, _Gerald_?"

"Don't you _dare_ call me that you little-" Bridge sucked in a breath and stood straight again. "No. I'm not going to let you get under my skin. I just need you to…" Bridge placed his hands under Lily's armpits and lifted her as if she were a child, proving that his lean muscles contained a lot of strength. He placed her down onto the floor. "…Get out of here." He pushed her shoulders harshly.

"Whoa, not cool!" Lily stumbled backwards into the door, which swung wide open. She landed hard on her rear with a scowl. "Come on, Gerald!"

"Get _out_ of here! _Now_!" Bridge grabbed the door handle and slammed it with all his might, causing the wood and metal to rattle. He stormed over to his seat and sat back down, massaging his scalp.

"I can't believe she's here… Of all the people…" Bridge opened and closed his fists, trying to calm down. There was no one quite like Lily Talbot who could get under his skin like that. Most of the time – no, all of the time – Bridge couldn't care what anyone thought. People had called him rude, selfish, arrogant, and perhaps they were right. Bridge could only laugh at those words of the people who wanted to be like him. He was an international superstar and that was all he cared about. People looked to him and they saw someone amazing, someone standing high above them. Bridge was a God of the musical world and everyone else was his lowly worshippers, nothing more than peasants.

But Lily… She had a very specific way of getting under Bridge's impenetrable shell. The way she spoke to him, the way she acted like she didn't care about his fame, the way she managed to find him like that… She wasn't just a crazy stalker; Bridge wasn't sure what she was, but it was something more than a simple obsession.

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard a raised voice from outside his room.

"Ran away? I don't believe it… Find her and get her out of here. I am not going to call in the police and interrupt Bridge's concert, it's just too big for that. It's one little girl, I'm sure it's not that hard." With that, the door opened again and Eddy Cool walking in, flustered.

"Who was that?" Eddy asked, his face showing the strain that the day's proceedings had put on him. His smile, however worn, was still there though showing off his perfect teeth.

"An eager fan, nothing more," Bridge looked to Eddy. "I'm going to go on stage now."

"It's still a little bit early—"

"No-one'll care." Bridge stood back up. "The music will make me calmer."

"I'd like to keep the schedule,"

"No," Bridge said firmly, barely glancing at the now sweating Eddy. "You know the deal. What I say, goes. And If I'm slightly early then I'm slightly early."

"Bridge, they're still putting the finishing touches on your light display," Eddy insisted, getting up in front of Bridge. "I hear there's some…" Bridge frowned and looked down at Eddy with his full height. Eddy gulped, for once losing his words. "Please?" The word was small and feeble. Eddy wasn't exactly a small man but when Bridge stretched his entire height like that it worked wonders as intimidation.

"They've had a week, Eddy. If it's not done by now then fire them. I'm going." With that, Bridge left the room, leaving Eddy to look after him wearing a worried expression. Why was the man so stubborn?

As Bridge walked through the corridor like royalty, Eddy quickly made his way over to the side of the stage where his two mechanics were still working on the lighting rig. He held a hand on one of their shoulders. "How is it?"

One shook his head. He beckoned with a finger and poked his head behind the massive stage-wide fixture that jutted upwards. "We've got a problem Eddy. Up there," he pointed up high where the top of the fixture was connected to the top of the stage with thick cables. "I don't know why but those cables are corroded. Must have been faulty goods. Whoever put them up is in for a bollocking, I'll tell you that much."

"…So?" Eddy continued, dreading the answer.

"It's dangerous is what it is." The man beckoned uselessly towards the direction where Bridge was hovering just off the side of the stage. "But…" He shook his head. "It'll have to hold. We'll get up there during his performance and see if we can't tighten the cables or something while its going on."

"Christ… I swear to God, if anything happens out there, you'll be in enough shit they'll have to bring a boat to get you out. Did you at least fix the bulb problem?"

"We replaced the faulty ones with the new ones that came in this morning. Apparently they're more powerful but hey, they are going to be bright anyway."

Eddy glanced at Bridge as he disappeared from his spot. "That man will tear you to shreds if anything interrupts his performance. And I'm not even kidding about that."

* * *

The lights went out completely, causing a sudden hush to blow over the entire audience. It was so dark that you couldn't see the person next to you and barely see your hand in front of your face. A low humming started rising from the direction of the stage, growing louder and deeper. A single low light spread across the bottom of the stage and a purple mist emerged left to right, swirling towards each other and rolling inside of themselves.

Sabrina and Ruby sat in their seats and Ruby was shaking with excitement.

"It's starting, Sabrina, It's starting." The light had grown just enough that Sabrina could see Ruby's eyes glittering with joy. Her fingers were twitching as if she was fighting to stay still.

The mist grew thicker and thicker and the lights grew and grew until the entire stage was lit up but completely obscured by the purple mist. Then the purple mist started to clear and the audience got their first glimpse of Bridge in seven years.

He stood straight as tall as he could go, arms stretched out either side of him. His trench-coat waved out behind him, causing the remnants of the purple mist to swirl around him. The moment his form was seen, the crowd erupted into cheers, loud enough that it seemed to shake the very building to its foundations. Ruby was eager in joining the throng, cheering as loud as she could. Sabrina could only bite her lip and try and ignore the knot in her stomach.

She could never admit to Ruby that she hated all of this. She hated the crowd, she hated the noise, she hated the hall itself. She never felt comfortable when the view of the sky was blocked and this concert hall didn't have any windows. She watched as Bridge stood still as a sentinel, soaking in the cheers of his fans. Ruby had mentioned that Bridge enjoyed his drama but this was something else.

As they slowly quietened down Bridge finally moved. He slowly turned around with his arms still held up. His red eyes flashed as one spotlight moved from left to right of the stage. After staring at the crowd long enough for them to go completely silent once more, he slowly held the microphone in his left hand to his lips.

 _"Luxuria._ " The single word echoed around the hall, sending shivers down the spines of the audience. For a moment Bridge was silent again before he turned around and moved forwards towards the back of the stage where the mist parted to reveal a set of pitch-black drums. Without even sitting down, Bridge pulled a single drumstick from his back pocket and hit one snare in equal rhythm. After four hits he pressed a button with his foot and slipped the drumstick back into his pocket, though the sound of the drums repeated rhythm continued.

Bridge walked to the front of the stage again and put the microphone to his mouth once more. " _Since the birth of humanity, there has always been those who seek… thrills. Who seek the abhorrent. Who seek the taboo. In each man and each women's heart lies a morsel of this intoxicating feeling. Now is not the time to worry. Now is not the time to judge your neighbours. Now is the time to let your true feelings out into the light._ "

The moment the word 'light,' was spoken, Bridge threw his arms out again and tipped his head up to look at the ceiling, eyes closed. After a single second, hundreds of small but blindingly bright light bulbs lit on behind him, causing the audience to gasp and squint as Bridge's silhouette was cast over the crowd like a deity.

The intensity was too much for Sabrina, who had to look away as the brightness of the lamps was almost painful, piercing into her head. Even behind closed eyelids she could see that light.

It was at this point that a high-pitched wrenching sound broke through the silence. In front of the bright lights, Bridge glanced behind him, evidently not expecting the noise.

 _CRACK_

That sound of obvious metal breaking cut through the silence like a knife. Then the lights shifted strangely, changing angle. It took Sabrina only a few seconds as she managed to open her eyes to realise that the light display had shifted forward at an angle, tipping directly over Bridge. No-one had quite realised what was going on, still half-blinded by the lights. Bridge himself seemed to have an irritated expression on his face, wondering who would dare interrupt him like this.

 _CRACK, CRACK_

The light fixture suddenly tipped completely, plunging towards the perplexed Bridge with all of its weight.

* * *

 _ **A/N:- Bridge is credited to Yajuu_Kikuishi**_


	6. Revisiting the Past

**Chapter Five**

 **Revisiting the Past**

No-one quite knew what to do or what to think as the light display tipped towards Bridge. It was just too fast, they didn't have _time_ to think. Everyone was still, watching with wide-eyes at the horror to come.

Everyone except for Lily Talbot. She had appeared from somewhere around the first row and with surprising athleticism leaped from the floor to the stage. She pelted full-speed across the wooden floor, not even thinking as she barrelled as hard as she could into the lean frame of Bridge.

As he had been looking up, he didn't even have time to brace himself. He lost his footing and stumbled forward twice, his long legs reaching to find some semblance of balance. Instead his ankle gave way and with a grunt he fell to the stage. A single second after, a massive crash filled his ears and light burst through his retinas. Bridge scowled, covering his face with his hand as more than a few screams shot up from the audience.

The stars in his eyes slowly faded and Bridge lowered his hand again to discover that the entire light display had smashed down onto the stage. The sparks for the collapse had burst outwards to the many draped purple curtains around the stage, causing a fire to start burning. But the fire was not what Bridge was looking at it. It was the still form underneath the light display, her bottom half completely crushed and a puddle of blood slowly spreading across the sleek black stage, looking like ink. Lily's bright eyes had already faded, but they were staring right at Bridge. He felt something unknown twinge at his heart but he didn't have time to think.

The fire had bloomed upwards and was making its way quickly to the upper tiers of the concert hall, twisting and writhing through the black and purple curtains with hungry ease. The quickness of the fire and the sudden smash of the lighting rig had sent the hall into a panic.

The ones closest to the fire at the edges of the tiers had stood and were running backwards. Their panic caused even more panic to spread like a virus through the rest of the tiers. The fire was too bright in the dark room, making it disorienting and nightmarish, demons clutching at their souls, ready to take them back down to the pits of hell.

On the stage Bridge took one step forward in order to start getting the heck out of dodge before the fire got worse. Instead of moving forward, he took another step back, glancing up. Something silver flashed in the air and all of a sudden Bridge's head became red mist as a steel rigging smashed through his head. His long body flailed as it fell back flat against the stage. As his body fell limp, his long arm fell downwards, his hand falling atop Lily's own, joined together in death upon the stage of disaster.

From their seats near the stairwell, Sabrina had gone pale and was barely moving. Ruby had tried to shake her and shout at her but the words had gone in one ear and out the other. Sabrina could only look at the fire as it spread throughout all the corners of the hall, looking at her as if to say that it was coming. That she wouldn't escape again.

"This can't be happening…" She muttered, staring with wide eyes.

"Sabrina!" Ruby shouted, pulling on her friends arm. "We need to go! _Now_!"

There was no semblance of order as the crowd of nearly two thousand crushed into one massive hoard. The aisle next to Sabrina and Ruby was full of pushing and pulling men and women, trying their best to get out of the flaming inferno. The tiers above shook violently as feet stomped up and down. A few shards of plaster fell from above as the old building got rattled in the chaos.

Back on the stage, Eddy Cool had ran out as soon as he saw Bridge hit by the rigging. He wasn't thinking as he rushed on stage and in his haste failed to look at the black wood floor, his attention focused purely on the downed superstar. The microphone cord tangled with Eddy's ankle and with a _snap_ his ankle bent awkwardly, causing him to fall face-first towards the stage. He barely even had time to worry about the pain before one pair of the stage-curtains broke free of their railings, a flaming mass of orange and yellow.

The burning fabric floated atop Eddy, engulfing him in the flames. They hugged him in his death throes as his voice grew high pitched in his fear. Eddy's screams soon died out as the flames ate at his flesh and bones, burning brighter as if they had enjoyed their feast and were showing their approval.

Back in the horde of the now immensely terrified crowd, things were getting extremely bad. There were fires among the people now as the curtains caught fleeing audience members. As they burned and screamed and flailed, they themselves caught others on fire. Hardly anyone could think straight, suddenly thrown into the primitive instinct of flight.

"Meg!" The shout of Trenton died within all the other noise as he pushed his way through the crowd. One moment he had been holding her hand and the next she had been dragged away by the flowing river. "MEG!"

He cast his eyes desperately back and forth, looking for any sign of his best friend. As he swept his gaze across the floor, he saw a flash of blue that quickly disappeared under the feet of the crowd. Trenton's face went pale as he barrelled his way through the crowd with his shoulder, ignoring the shouts of the ones he had pushed over. He fell to his knees next to Meg's motionless form. There was patches of blood and dirt covering her arms, her face obscured by her hair.

Without a thought as the crowd pushed against him, Trenton threw himself over her defenceless body. He gritted his teeth as the audience starting stomping over him in their effort to flee from the flames and the fire. One heel pushed its way into the base of his neck, sending stars to his eyes. Another stood on his ankle and another kicked his jaw. Nevertheless, Trenton stayed covering his best friend without any fear, only determination to protect her.

Neither he, nor any surrounding him, saw the ceiling above them crack from the movement above. They didn't see the large section of concrete fall down, crushing them under a mixture of concrete, wood, and other members of the audience who were unfortunate enough to be standing where the floor had caved in.

Back in their seats, Sabrina finally got a hold of herself. She stood up suddenly, taking Ruby by surprise. Sabrina looked towards the mass of people clumping around the stairway exits and shook her head "Ruby, follow me."

Ruby could only follow as Sabrina climbed down the seats in front of her instead of forcing her way into the packed crowd. She made it down the chairs, feeling the heat of the flames even in the middle of the hall. It was completely encircled in the fire now as it ate at the curtains, the wooden walls, the ceiling, everything the fiery beast could reach.

As Sabrina and Ruby made their way down, a few people realised what she was doing in ignoring the crowd. Included in this small group were both Corey and Jason. Jason was sweating but had a determined look on his face as he followed Sabrina. Corey was shaking, his face pale under his now damp fringe of hair. There was no sign of his friends as he made his way down the chairs.

Now in front of the stage, Sabrina pointed towards the corner of the concert hall. "Over there is a door, likely leading to the backstage area. Ruby, let's go!" Without worrying about the people behind her, Sabrina grabbed Ruby's hand and practically pulled her to the door. "We need to get this – Shit!" Sabrina quickly pulled her hand away from the doorknob in pain. The metal was extremely hot and had burned her skin with ease. She could remember burning her hands back at the Ferret Inn and she found herself squeezing Ruby's hand tightly to stop from letting herself get overwhelmed.

"I got it!" Jason pulled off his shirt without a thought and wrapped it around his hand. He grabbed the handle and started to open the door, his muscles straining.

Corey's eyes widened. "Wait, be careful, if there's a fire—" Corey couldn't finish his sentence. Jason wrenched the door open, releasing a swath of fire that hit Corey – and a few of the small group – directly. Corey's screams died out quickly as the fire tore at his flesh and he fell to the ground, charred and smoking, body twisted in revulsion.

"No… I didn't…" Jason, who had avoided the brunt of the fire from behind the door, grew pale. "I—"

"Come on, Ruby!" Sabrina grabbed Ruby's arm just as a chunk of ceiling tore its way from the roof and down towards the group. Sabrina wrenched Ruby towards her and they both fell in a bundle of limbs. The chunk of rock fell directly on top of Jason, cutting a gash open in his forehead and pinning him to the ground. He was still moving however, though his mouth was gaping open and shut like a fish out of water.

With the stone on his chest, Jason couldn't breathe. His one free hand reached towards Sabrina but she didn't spare him a glance. Instead, Sabrina pulled Ruby through the doorway. Ruby tried to resist but Sabrina's grasp was just too strong. Jason could only watch fruitlessly, the air leaving his lungs and blackness overtaking him as he reached out, seeing _her_ standing there, looking down at him with pity. His soundless voice spoke her name, begged forgiveness, tears welling at his eyes but it was all for naught as his last breath left him.

"Sabrina, we just left that man to die!" Ruby cried as they ran through the backstage room. Inside was no different than the hall. The walls were aflame and the whole room was hot on their skin.

"I don't care about that!" Sabrina snapped. " _We_ need to get out. That's all I want." Sabrina saw two doors that were blocked by fire and rubble. Only one door stood on the other side of the room. "A fire exit… Come on, Ruby." Sabrina pushed forward and pushed the handle to open the door. It was hot but not as hot as the handle from the previous door.

The door didn't budge.

"No… No, no…" Sabrina tried again to no avail. "Come on!" She backed away from the door, clutching at her hair, her teeth gritted tightly. "Why…?"

"Sabrina!" Ruby grabbed her shoulders. "Snap out of it! The both of us should be able to get out of this!"

Sabrina just shook her head, letting herself fall to the floor. "What did I do for this?"

Ruby coughed violently; the black smoke swirling around the ceiling of the room. "Sabrina!" It was hopeless. The girl was now hugging her knees, muttering to herself. Ruby closed her eyes. She had to take it upon herself. Looking towards the door, she clenched her fists and took a careful breath, trying not to inhale anymore of the acrid smoke.

She charged the door, smashing her shoulder into the metal. The force caused Ruby to bounce back, landing on her rear painfully. The door didn't budge one inch. "Damnit…" Ruby stood, rubbing her sore shoulder. She measured up and tried again. The fire was licking at her arms every-time she got close, burning through her clothes. She resisted – no, she refused – the pain as bright red burns appeared on her arms. "Come on!" One more try but still nothing. "Sabrina! Help me!" Ruby looked to her friend and still got no reaction. The fire and the smoke just made Ruby feel woozy and she stumbled over to Sabrina. "You… idiot…" Nevertheless, Ruby smiled and dropped to her knees.

She hugged Sabrina tightly, placing her forehead to Sabrina's own. She muttered three words. Those words seemed to finally bring Sabrina out of her fugue. She blinked her tears away, looking up to Ruby. "What am I doing?" Sabrina pushed her way to her feet. "Come on, let's go!"

With newfound determination Sabrina moved towards the door but found that Ruby wasn't following. She turned just as Ruby fell to the ground. "Ruby!" Sabrina moved back towards her friend. It was obvious that Ruby had taken in too much smoke. "Ruby! Not now, not now, we can do this… we can do this!"

Sabrina could feel the smoke entering her own lungs, taking away her air. It made her light-headed and dizzy. Before she knew it she was on the floor as well, looking up at the fiery roof. If she had only tried harder… if she hadn't given up… if she had just helped Ruby then and there without falling to pieces… If only… if only…

* * *

When Sabrina opened her eyes she was staring at herself. Her skin was pale and sweat beaded her face in small shiny pellets. It took her a moment to realise exactly what had happened. It was the Ferret Inn all over again. It was her parents all over again. It couldn't be… but it was.

It was a vision of the future to come.


	7. Changing Fate

**Chapter Six**

 **Changing Fate**

For a long moment, Sabrina thought she was eighteen again, staring at her parents over the table in the Ferret Inn, unable to comprehend what it was she had just seen. Back then, she had decided that it was just some kind of horrifying daydream. She had left without registering the clues and then her world had come tumbling down.

Now she stared at herself and saw only her own fear.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Sabrina flinched. It was the exact same tone of Ruby's voice, the same inflections, the same worry. Sabrina grit her teeth and watched one of the stalls in the reflection of the mirror. Just as she had seen, a lady stepped out and looked at the two of them with a strange look. After quickly washing her hands just like before, she left the restroom.

"Sabrina…?" Ruby placed her hand on Sabrina's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"The door will open…" Sabrina muttered, almost as much to herself as to Ruby.

"The door?"

"A girl… Small. Wild." On cue, the blur of Lily Talbot entered the restroom and without even glancing at the two women, she disappeared into one of the stalls. Sabrina stared at the stalls. There was no doubt about it. It was happening. "Ruby, we need to get out of here."

Ruby shook her head lightly. "What's going on? You look scared to death."

"We _need_ to get out of here!" Sabrina insisted, grabbing at Ruby's arm to pull her. Ruby resisted, standing her ground.

Before Ruby could say anything, the door opened again and the young male staff member popped his head in. He looked to Sabrina clutching at Ruby's arm and blushed.

"Get the _hell_ out!" Sabrina hissed, her voice spitting venom. Whatever the man thought they were doing was enough to make him leave the room. As soon as he was gone, Sabrina turned back to Ruby. "Please, can you just come with me?"

"Sabrina. Tell me what is going on." Ruby's face was an unnatural frown. "You've been acting weird all night. I know you have a problem with crowds but you've never told me why. This is a big night for us – for you. You managed to overcome that fear and come here and now you're just going to chicken out now? You said you were okay, didn't you? I mean, I'm alright with leaving but I think you owe it to me _and_ yourself to say why you're so scared of them."

"I'm not scared!" Sabrina replied, exasperated.

"Then explain to me what this is all about. You want to go? If you're not scared, what's got you in this—"

"There's going to be a fire, Ruby! It's going to cause a panic and the hall is going to crumble! People are going to die, we're going to die, so we need to move!"

"…What?" Ruby blinked, taken aback by Sabrina's words. "What are you talking about?"

"The concert hall is going to catch fire, Ruby! I saw all of this! I saw that woman leaving the stalls, I saw _her_ ," Sabrina gestured towards the stall where Lily was staying particularly quiet. "You heard me, I called it!"

"Sabrina…"

"If we go out there and we sit down in our seats then we will _die_!" Sabrina was agitated enough that tears were breaking out. "That musician, Bridge, he will come out on stage and start his performance. It will be a song titled ' _Luxuria_ '!"

"No one knows what Bridge's songs are going to be… How could you?" Ruby asked but Sabrina took no heed.

"He will start reciting some kind of words and a lighting display is going to fall down and a fire is going to start. Bridge is going to die, the audience are going to die, you're going to die, _I'm_ going to die and I am not going to allow this to happen again. Ruby, we need to go right _now_ , damn it!"

Ruby sighed and put a hand on her forehead. "I… This is crazy, Sabrina but… I mean, if what you're saying is… and I can't believe I'm saying this, but if what you're saying is true then surely we need to tell someone, stop Bridge from performing, stop the concert—"

"You think they'll believe me? You don't even believe me." Sabrina pulled harder and this time got Ruby moving. "I'm getting out of here and you're coming with me, do you understand?"

Sabrina's tone and fierce expression brooked no argument. Ruby knew that whatever had gotten under Sabrina's skin was serious. Without another word, she allowed Sabrina to pull her out of the restroom.

* * *

In her hiding spot in the stall, Lily Talbot didn't quite know what to make of the conversation she had just overheard. All she knew was that if there was any danger to Bridge, then it was up to her to get him to stop performing. She didn't care about the thousands of people who had turned up from who knows where to watch his concert. Protecting Bridge was her number one concern.

Lily crept out of the restroom and nonchalantly walked through the back of the concert hall and made her way down to the bottom corner as if she were a member of staff herself. She walked through the backstage area until she came to a dressing room door predictably labelled as 'Bridge.'

She opened the door and let herself in, immediately spotting Bridge sitting with his feet up on the dressing table with his eyes closed. In any other situation she would have played with him a little bit, made him irritated, that kind of thing. However, now was not the time for making fun of the man.

"You need to stop the concert," Lily said, with no regards to the fact that no-one – let alone Bridge – would take her seriously.

"Excuse me?" Bridge opened one eye and upon seeing Lily, his face became a mask of annoyance. "Not you… What the hell are you doing here?"

"You can't go out on stage," Lily said firmly, hands on her hips.

"I don't even want to bother with you," Bridge shook his head and closed his eyes. With a frown, Lily stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder. Immediately the tall man grabbed her arm tightly and pried it loose. "Don't. Touch. Me. Get out before I throw you out."

"Don't go out, Bridge." Lily insisted. "Something's going down. It's dangerous."

"Oh, please. I told you, I'm not dealing with you today. Now…" Bridge pulled himself up off of his chair and stood his full height, towering over the much smaller Lily. "Get out, _now_."

Before Lily could reply, a loud trilling noise echoed into their ears causing Bridge to wince in further annoyance. Lily recognised the sound immediately. She had heard it, and caused it, more than a few times when she was in school and college.

It was a fire alarm and Lily could make a very educated guess as to who pulled it.

* * *

The fire alarm echoed around the concert hall, setting off a series of confused looks and mutterings from the crowd. The staff looked around, also confused. There was no sign of a fire, but the regulations said that if a fire alarm went off then they ought to evacuate. However, none of the staff wanted to delay the re-debut of Bridge unless absolutely necessary, so they hung on for a moment, waiting for word of something happening.

It didn't take long until a flustered Eddy Cool appeared on stage, running one hand through his blonde hair and playing with a fake smile on his lips. He held a microphone in his left hand and brought it up to his mouth. "Don't worry guys, this is just a false alarm. We – err, we're just testing the new systems. There's nothing to worry about so please remain in your seats. The show will begin very shortly."

Watching the man quickly leave the stage, Meagan looked to Trenton with concern in her eyes. "I don't like this, Trent. I don't like this at all."

"Have you got a feeling?"

"More than a feeling this time…" Meagan bit her lip, anxious. "Something's terribly wrong. I've never been this way before…" Meagan rubbed at her neck, a gesture that clearly told Trenton that she was more serious than ever before. "It's like what I felt before we got in, just multiplied by a hundred. I saw…" Meagan gulped, interrupting her own words. "Why would someone just ring a fire alarm like that? Not many people would just prank a concert hall."

"What do you want to do?" Trenton asked, leaning in close. He would be happy to stay but he'd also be happy to leave. Meagan was always right about her feelings, always.

Back when they were kids, she had a feeling that something was wrong with her parents car. She had screamed and screamed and screamed for them to stay home but her father wasn't having any of it. In order to prove to her that nothing was wrong with the car, he had lifted the bonnet to show her – only to discover a crack in the engine that could have proven fatal.

Another time was a bad feeling when she was being babysat by Trenton's parents. She had woken Trenton up at night and sneaked to the top of the stairs where they discovered a man in black sneaking about. She and Trenton had thrown toys and anything else within reach at the man, running him off. That was always a favourite memory for Trenton and many of his memories were similar. Not only were Meagan's feelings always correct but she wasn't afraid to act on it. She would make her choice and stick with it.

"I want to go," Meagan stood up. "I don't trust this. I just… don't. Sorry to ruin this for you, Trent."

"It's no problem," Trent stood as well, apologising quickly to the couple at the end of the aisle as they stood to let them out. "Let's find something to eat – then the evening won't have been wasted."

"Good idea," Meagan smiled as they left their seats.

One row below them, Jason Ryan shivered. He had heard their quick conversation – the two weren't exactly being quiet. The fire alarm had startled him and hearing them talk about bad feelings made his own misgivings about coming to the concert all the more apparent. He didn't know what to think – the girl had said something was terribly wrong. Did she know something he didn't? Was something going to happen? Were they in danger? Or something worse? Was someone going to die? He couldn't see that again, couldn't handle the blood, couldn't handle the death, couldn't handle the same thing that happened to Maylene—

Jason found his breathing had grown rapid and he was hyperventilating. This wasn't good. His thoughts got out of order quick and his imagination had gotten the better of him. There was no way he could sit through this concert now. He needed fresh air. Jason stood up and quickly left the concert hall, shivering in the warmth.

* * *

"Why did you that?" Sabrina hissed as she pulled Ruby out of the building. "What the _hell_ are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that if you're speaking any inkling of the truth then I want to warn people," Ruby said, surprised at Sabrina's tone.

"You think people are just going to get up and go when you pull a fire alarm in the middle of a hall with staff? It's a miracle we got out before they saw you but they know there's no a fire. No one is going to stand up and leave, Ruby. You've just caused more trouble than is worth it."

"I had to try. You seemed so adamant on leaving…" Ruby closed her eyes. "You don't… You're not involved in anything… well, dodgy, are you?"

"Dodgy?" Sabrina repeated incredulously. "There is nothing 'dodgy', I just know that something is going to go down and when it does, we need to be the hell away from here."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." Ruby put her hands up to stop any further arguing as they entered the park area of the Green Lion park. "Can we sit down? Talk about what's going on?"

"I don't really want to talk," Sabrina said, her eyes flicking back and forth through the park with a well-trained eye.

"Then I'll talk." Ruby looked firmly up to Sabrina. "And you'll listen."

* * *

"What do you think you're doing? Think you're funny, trying to disrupt this concert? I have half a mind to call the police."

"W-What? What do you mean?" Corey looked left and right wildly, trying to figure out what was going on. A big, brutish thug of a security guard was right in front of his face. "I was just in the restroom. I heard the fire alarm, I got out of there on the double and now you're in my face—"

"You got a problem with that, kid?"

"No, it's just—"

"I'd suggest you leave before I really _do_ call the police."

Corey grabbed at his beanie, frustrated. "No, the ticket was too expensive just to leave."

The security poked his meaty finger into Corey's chest. "When you pull a fire alarm like an arsehole then you forfeit your ticket. Now leave before I call the police. And I will call the police."

Corey bit his tongue. He wanted to respond but this guy looked like he'd played rugby and was kicked out for injuring too many people. He couldn't argue with this. Defeated, he looked at the guard, "Can I at least tell my friends—"

"No."

"Just a—"

"No."

"Don't be a—"

"No."

"Christ, _fine_." Corey shook his head. "I'll go, I'll go. I hope you're happy with yourself, unfairly accusing me of pulling that damn fire alarm." He thrust his thumb at the camera. "When you look at the tapes you'll see it wasn't me and then you'll have hell to pay, ape-man." With that final retort, Corey stalked out of the building, hands in his pockets, unable to believe his rotten luck.

* * *

Bridge stood with his arms open wide, taking in the allure of the crowd. There was nothing quite like standing in front of thousands of people, purple mist swirling around his feet. He waited for as long as he felt necessary before raising the microphone in his left hand towards his mouth. He spoke one word: " _Luxuria_."

His voice echoed around the concert hall and he could almost see the chills running up his followers spines. Bridge turned around and moved towards the back of the stage, where his drums were waiting. The purple mist swirled and opened to reveal his drums… and one Lily Talbot sitting at his drums, a sheepish grin on her face. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that she had interrupted his performance in front of thousands of people. He couldn't believe she would embarrass him like that. Even as annoying and frustrating and stalkish as she was, Lily had never once interrupted a performance, instead watching it like the fan he knew she was.

Bridge could feel the fury rising up within him. The crowd was obviously confused but neither Lily nor Bridge cared. Bridge took one step towards her and she stood quickly, flipping the drums with her hands. They crashed and slammed against the stage floor in a cacophony of sound. With a quick wave, she sprinted off to the back-stage area.

Bridge followed suit, his head burning. The timing was all off now. The lights would come on and he wouldn't be ready… no matter. This performance was already ruined by that little brat. Nothing else he could do. Bridge pushed through the backstage area just as the timed lights burst on, sending waves of light out at the audience.

"TALBOT!" Bridge roared.

"Bridge, what the… Who is…" Eddy ran towards her, looking flustered.

"Did you see her? Where did she go?" Bridge's eyes were wild. "I'll kill her!" His tone of voice frightened the stage-hands dotted around. They looked at him with fear.

"Bridge, calm down. She ran out the back door, she'll already be gone. I'll call the police—"

"I'll get her and rip her to shreds. How dare she ruin this for me! How dare she—"

 _CRACK!_

The noise reverberated through the backstage area. Bridge and Eddy both glanced back towards the light display, which had snapped from one of its mounts and was leaning threateningly towards the stage. Eddy seemed lost for words as two more cracks reverberated around. The light display in all its splendour fell down towards the stage and crashed hard, sending sparks and light throughout the stage.

Eddy fell back in shock but Bridge remained standing, even as the fire caught the curtains. He watched as one of the catwalks high above the stage snapped and swung like a deadly swing directly to where Bridge would have been standing had he been on the stage. Without a second thought he turned and headed for the back entrance, even as the fire spread quickly across the curtains and the crowd started to panic.

"Bridge? Bridge! You can't just… Bridge!" Eddy scrambled to his feet, running after Bridge, pulling out his mobile to call the fire service.

* * *

"…Sabrina…" Ruby found her friend's name leaving her lips as she stared at the scene through the swaying trees. "How did you know?"

At first, the men and women fleeing from the concert hall in an unorganised mess caught Ruby's attention before she could confront Sabrina properly. It didn't take long after that for the swirling black smoke to rise into the dark sky, casting a shadow over Green Lion Square. Soon the fire-trucks had arrived and it was this that Ruby was watching, seeing the men in black and yellow unroll the hoses and tackle the flames that were fighting their way out of the windows of the Epsilon Concert Hall.

Ruby turned back towards the bench, seeking an answer from Sabrina. However, Sabrina's concentration wasn't focused on Ruby or the fire. She had her head in her hands, leaning over her knees. Small choked sobs could be heard from under the strands of blonde hair that had come free from her ponytail.

"Sabrina?" Ruby gently placed a hand on Sabrina's shoulder.

Sabrina looked up with wet eyes, tears trailing down her cheeks. She bit her bottom lip, unable to say a word. She looked for all the world a child who had lost herself in the big city. In the two years Ruby had known Sabrina, she had never seen her like this. Sabrina had always been strong and sure of herself. She certainly had her secrets but they had never overwhelmed her like today had.

Knowing that no words could help right then, Ruby sat next to Sabrina and put her arm over her back, pulling her gently in so Sabrina's cheek rested on Ruby's shoulder. The duo sat like this for a long while, simply watching the fire tear away at the Epsilon Concert Hall; avoiding the fiery fate that it had in store for them.


	8. Interlude - Hawk & Kelly

**Interlude**

 **Hawk & Kelly**

Something cold and hard pressed into Sabrina's cheek as she slowly woke up though she kept her eyes shut. She could remember the fire… her parents… but could it have been just a dream? Was this surface she could feel the table at the inn? For a moment Sabrina allowed herself to relax. It had to be a dream… all of that, it just couldn't have been real.

When she opened her eyes, she expected to see the smiles of her father and mother, trying to contain their laughter that she managed to fall asleep on her eighteenth birthday, in an inn, no less. After all, the fireplace that was snugly against the far wall made a cosy atmosphere over the building. It was a place of quiet conversation, the Ferret Inn, not senseless banter.

Instead of her parents, she was staring at a flat wall that had no personality to it. Sabrina slowly picked her head up off the cold hard steel table and looked around, willing it not to be true. The room she was in was uncomfortably small with four grey walls and one grey door. She was sitting on a grey chair in front of a grey table with another grey chair opposite her. The room had nothing else to offer.

Sabrina went to stand but a lance of pain stopped her progress and she fell back into her seat, panting. Wrapped around her leg was a dark blue cast. How did that get there? Sabrina frowned and looked to her hands, which had been wrapped tightly with bandages. She could move her fingers but they were stiff and hurt slightly with every movement.

"It was real…" Sabrina found the words leaving her mouth, echoing through the tiny room. She could feel herself wanting to cry, wanting to weep, but no tears left her eyes. Perhaps she was fully cried out, if that was even possible. "Mum… Dad…" The feeling in her stomach wasn't sadness, not anymore. It was something hotter, something that was slowly rising to the surface.

Anger.

Sabrina tried to stand again, this time using her good leg and the table to support herself. Gritting her teeth, she ignored the pain and successfully got to her feet, breathing hard. Taking a moment to let the pain simmer, she tested her injured leg on the floor. The pain lanced up but this time it was expected and wasn't really all that bad in the grand scheme of things. She put her full weight onto it experimentally and successfully took one step.

More confident in her ability to both walk and handle the pain, Sabrina made her way to the grey door, testing the round handle with her bandaged hand. Locked. Of course it was locked.

"Hello?" Sabrina called out. She waited but there was no answer. "Hello!?" Still nothing. Sabrina chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, trying to think things through. She must have been taken to the hospital if she had this cast and the bandages but she couldn't remember it at all. The last thing she remembered was her mother's pale face…

"Let me go!" Sabrina shouted as loud as she could, striking that image from her mind. She slammed her fist onto the door but instantly regretted that decision. She cradled her hand in pain. "Let me go…" Sabrina looked around the room hopelessly. Was this some kind of prison? It couldn't be, not with just a table. Even a prison had to have a bed… besides, why would it be a prison?

 _…Because you caused it…_

Sabrina ignored the hissing in her ears and hobbled back over to her chair. She sat down, stretching her aching leg out. She would have to wait, no doubt for whoever it was to come in and talk to her.

After ten minutes, Sabrina had to take another lap around the room to ignore the memories poking at her brain.

After thirty minutes, Sabrina had gotten used to walking on her injured leg, hobbling around with relative quickness. She wondered why she hadn't been given a crutch or a walking stick.

After an hour Sabrina was back against the door with her ear to the keyhole, listening for any sign of humanity.

After an hour and a half, Sabrina was wondering if she would be left in here to rot after what she had done to her parents and everyone else at the inn. They wouldn't feed her, give her drink, they would just let her die slowly and painfully…

 _Click_.

Sabrina's head snapped towards the door from her position in the corner where she was sitting, her legs stretched out in front of her. The grey door slowly opened and two men entered.

The two couldn't have been any more different if they tried. The one at the front was small but had a confident grin plastered on his face, though his eyes showed intelligence and cunning. He was well dressed in a grey suit with a black shirt and a white tie. Atop his head was a trilby hat, making him look like a private eye from the fifties.

The bigger man behind was scruffy from head to toe; Unshaven with small tufty hair that looked like it had been cut with blunt scissors. He wore a pair of black suit trousers that were creased and a simple white shirt with the top two buttons undone, revealing a particularly hairy chest. His tie was crooked and loose, swinging as he walked. His mouth moved up and down, evidently chewing some kind of gum.

"Sabrina Holland!" The smaller man's grin didn't even move as he walked towards her. "It's so good to meet you in a more… pliable state. You weren't in the best of conditions last we saw you." The man offered his hand. "Come on, up you get. We've got a lot to discuss."

Sabrina looked at the man suspiciously, but accepted the hand, if only to ease the pain of getting up off the floor. She sat back down in her seat, watching the larger man lean up against the doorway, staring at her like some predator. The smaller man sauntered over to the opposite chair and sat down casually, placing his hands face-down on the table as if to make him seem less threatening.

"My name is Eugene Hawk," he started, motioning to himself. He pointed with a thumb to the bigger man. "That one over there is my partner, Harold Kelly. He's not very talkative but that's how we like it. I do the talking and he does the… well, he does the brooding. Now, Sabrina, I know you're going to have a LOT of questions, so before I get to my business, let's get those questions out of the way and let your mind loosen a little, okay?"

She didn't know what to think of this man with his quick words and friendly manner, but if she had a chance to ask questions Sabrina wasn't going to let it pass. "How long has it been?"

"Since the Ferret Inn? Eight days."

"…Eight days?" Sabrina leaned back in her chair. How could eight whole days pass without her even knowing it. "What happened to me after... after…"

"After the fire?" Eugene leaned forward so he was leaning on his elbows. "The fire fighters found you next to your mother. You were in quite the state, I'll admit. Your leg, your hands, your face…" At those words Sabrina's fingers went to her face, where she could feel the small white plasters, suddenly remembering that she had gouged at them with her nails. "They had to drag you away. You're a fighter, you know that? They got you to the ambulance and _they_ got you to the hospital where they treated you. After you had laughed yourself silly, you became unresponsive. You could eat, you could drink but other than that…" Eugene shrugged. "You were practically comatose. The doctors were worried it could be permanent. Seeing both your parents in that state… Sheesh…"

Sabrina took a moment to let Eugene's words sink in. Finally she licked her lips and said, "And where am I?"

"You are in an interview room in the DSI Headquarters," Eugene said as if Sabrina was supposed to know what the DSI were. "We're an offshoot of the police, so to speak. Investigate the kind of incidents like the one you were involved in."

"The kind of incidents…" Sabrina closed her eyes. It hadn't taken long since she had woken up that she decided she would keep quiet about her vision and her lack of acting on it from whoever walked through those doors. "It was an accident… A... _horrible_ … accident."

"Hmm… Yes," Eugene's eyes flashed, as if he were looking straight through her. "Anything else you would like to know?"

"I'm here for… questioning?"

"Just a conversation. May I get started?" Eugene cocked his head towards her.

Sabrina nodded. It was best just to get this out of the way. "Okay but… Are you forcing me to stay?"

"Nope. You can leave whenever you want. If you don't like my line of questioning then you can go."

"Okay…"

"So… The Ferret Inn… Sabrina… What happened?" Eugene leaned further forward. Sabrina felt like he knew exactly what happened but just wanted to hear what she thought. Whether he was prying for lies or something else, she wasn't going to break.

"It was my eighteenth birthday," Sabrina said firmly, surprising even herself. Those eight days must have been enough to let go of her grief and pain and think properly. "We were visiting the town… It's a kind of tradition. We went to the Ferret Inn to eat. I… I wasn't feeling well so I excused myself. Next thing I know I'm outside of the Inn and there are flames… everywhere. I guess I went outside to get a breath of fresh air. I… I'm just lucky. My parents… the people in the inn…" Sabrina shook her head before a thought occurred to her. She looked to Eugene, who was listening intently. "Were there any survivors?"

"None," Eugene replied instantly.

"Oh…"

"Now, Sabrina, I'm going to tell you what _really_ happened."

"Excuse me?" Sabrina didn't like the tone of his voice. Eugene stood and started pacing slowly around the room.

"Like you said, you went to have dinner with your family to eat. And like you said, you weren't feeling well. But what you neglected to mention is that you _saw_ everything before it happened."

"What-"

"You _saw_ the lorry that smashed into the inn, the tanker tearing open. You _saw_ the gas pipe above split and ignite. You _saw_ it spread through the restaurant, trapping the customers inside. You _saw_ your parents consumed by the flames. You _saw_ yourself consumed by said flames."

"I-"

"And then it was like you woke up," Eugene's voice had gotten quieter but he was directly behind Sabrina now. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders causing a shiver to run down her spine. "What is a girl like you to do in that situation? You just had a horrid daydream. You decide, okay, what if it was real? What if that so-called dream was a sign of things to come? So you panicked. You decided that you had to get out of there, just in case, just in case what you saw truly came to be. You left the inn and lo and behold the fire starts just like you saw. And you watched… You watched the fire consume that restaurant. You watched the customers scramble at the door trying to leave and you heard their screams as the fire consumed their flesh. Ate away at your parents…"

You're wrong-"

Eugene's grasp suddenly tightened as he dug his fingers into her shoulder. He was close to her ear now with a dreadful whisper. "And you know what I hate, Sabrina Holland… You know what I absolutely hate? Is that you. Did. Nothing!" Eugene let go and stepped back around in front of her. His grin was gone now as he looked at her with scary eyes. "You murdered the people in that restaurant. You murdered your parents. You knew what was going to happen and you _didn't act_. You didn't warn anyone and you just fled in self-preservation. You could have shouted out, you could have done something, anything. Instead, you acted selfishly."

Sabrina didn't say a word. He was just blowing smoke. He couldn't possibly know what happened.

"You know, we've investigated cases like this before, all over the world. A train derailment in Mexico City, a hotel collapse in Cannes, a roller-coaster crash in Pennsylvania, among so many others. Every single time there were a group of survivors. Every single time one of these survivors claimed to have _seen_ what happened before it did. And every single time these survivors died off, one by one by one. In the end all the survivors usually end up dead. I wonder, did you know about these visions, Sabrina Holland? Did you think that by not saving anyone you wouldn't be put on these death lists? I doubt it worked, I really do, it always finds its way, you know? But the thing is… In every single one of those cases… The person who saw the vision _saved_ as many as they could. Even if they were ridiculed, even if they weren't believed, they at least tried! And you? You didn't even do that." Eugene leaned forward, his eyes full of fire. "You are absolute scum."

Sabrina stared him down, wondering just what his issue was. "I would like to leave now." Sabrina painfully stood up and stared at Eugene as she limped over to the door. As she made for the handle, Harold Kelly took one step to the left to block the way. "Excuse me…"

Harold just looked down at her.

"I'm not done," Eugene said slowly, sweat beading his forehead. He had lost all composure.

"I am," Sabrina replied firmly. She looked back up to Harold. "Let me go."

"Can't do, little lady," Harold replied in a surprisingly thick Irish accent.

Sabrina took a breath. These two wolfs were cornering her, she could feel it.

"I want to know how the vision works, Sabrina. I want to know what whispered in your ear. I want to know how to stop it. You could stop so many more of these from happening, you do know that, yes?"

"I _want_ to leave."

"You'll leave when I'm done!" Eugene hissed, getting up close and personal. It was sudden but he suddenly slapped Sabrina with the back of his hand. She stumbled in shock and her leg jolted, forcing her to fall down to the cold concrete floor. At that moment the door opened and two men bundled in some kind of black attire pushed past Harold. A woman followed quickly after, her face enraged. She thrust her finger at Eugene's chest.

"That's too far. I gave you the chance to talk to her because of what happened but you told me you would not get physical."

"I need answers, Lisa, and she has them! She's withholding vital information!"

"She's a scared girl, Hawk. Nothing more. Do you know how many strings I had to pull to get this questioning session underway? How many favours I had to pull in? I trusted you on this one, Hawk, and you screwed it up." The woman shook her head and walked over to Sabrina, gently helping her up. "You're free to leave, Sabrina. I'm extremely sorry for what happened. My aide is outside, he'll lead you to a car which will take you back to the hospital. I believe they'll have some information regarding your living conditions." With that the older woman turned back around to Eugene. "You just can't let go, can you Hawk? And you, Kelly, I'm disappointed you let this happen."

Harold shrugged. "Sometimes the best way to get answers is to get physical, Valentine."

"That is NOT the way. Maybe that's how the DSI used to do it, but not anymore. Just… Just get out, you two, now."

Sabrina didn't want to hear anymore. She limped out of the room, leaving the two jackals to deal with the woman that saved her. Her thoughts weren't on them, though. Her thoughts were on what exactly she was to do now? Where would she go? What would she do?

What did her future hold now that she was alone?


	9. Unwelcome Visitors

**Chapter Seven**

 **Unwelcome Visitors**

The shrill sound of the alarm clock penetrated through the murky dreams of Ruby Ascot's mind. She groggily opened her eyes and the images of her dream involving fire and falling buildings disappeared completely. Sitting up in her small single bed she let out a yawn, stretching her arms up like a cat waking from a long nap.

Pulling herself from the bed, Ruby quietly padded across the carpet and entered the small bathroom in the corner. She stood in front of the mirror and looked at her short dishevelled pink hair tangled beyond repair. Ruby shrugged to herself and reached for her toothbrush. She never really worried about her appearance that much. She would re-dye her hair every month but otherwise left it mostly alone, save for the occasional trim. Ruby never wore make-up, not even the lightest of lipstick or eyeliner. She always supposed this was due to her mother, who would doll up so much she looked absolutely ridiculous.

Rinsing the toothpaste out of her mouth, Ruby made her way back into her room, selecting a simple pale green-shirt and jeans for her outfit today. Her choice in outfits was just as lackadaisical as her personal looks. It just didn't really bother her that much. As long as the colours were bright, then she was happy. It seemed such a waste of time to spend hours putting makeup on and selecting the _perfect_ clothes just to do it all over again the next day.

Ruby left her bedroom and headed through a small corridor that led into the living room which made up the main base of the two-bedroom flat. An open-wall kitchen stood at the end of the room and it was here that Ruby headed straight for, opening the cupboard on the wall to look for some cereal.

It had been one week since the events at the Epsilon Concert Hall and things had somewhat gone back to normal. Sabrina, who was no doubt on her usual morning walk, had been acting strange the whole week. Whereas she didn't have a care before, she would now read the newspaper during lunch and watch the news after dinner. She had also taken to locking the front door, even though they hadn't really worried about it before unless both of them were out.

The evening of the fire had been exhausting. The police had questioned both Ruby and Sabrina, even if Sabrina seemed uncharacteristically hostile to the police. Ruby had kept quiet about pulling the fire alarm as a request from Sabrina. Ruby didn't particularly like lying but the fire alarm didn't seem to be much of a focus. Instead they were just questioned like the many others who had escaped the concert hall; wondering if they saw any strangers or suspicious activity around the hall.

In the end it was concluded that it was simply a tragic accident. The building was old and the owners had neglected to get the building checked up on which was why the two tiers crumbled when the audience were trying to flee. The lighting rig had been rushed but the cables being old was merely negligence on being rushed, not murder.

With all the people that had died, Ruby found it easier just not to think about it. That way she could keep the smile on her face and continue going through her days happy. It was just that Sabrina was concerning her… After all, she had thought something was going to happen. Ruby had played with the fact that Sabrina had caused it but quickly dismissed that notion after the news report on the accident. It must have simply been a bad feeling that got her so on edge, perhaps something relating to her past that Sabrina still refused to talk about.

The trill of the door-bell brought Ruby out of her thoughts as she ate her cereal. She furrowed her eyebrows, wondering who was calling this early in the morning. It was too early for the post and Ruby didn't have any friends who would visit without calling first. Perhaps Sabrina had forgot the key?

Unlocking the door, Ruby opened it and was surprised to come face to face with two men. The one at the front looked like he had watched too many detective noir films. He looked like a carbon copy of those detectives with his brown trench-coat, his short stubble and the trilby hat on his head. The larger man behind looked like a brute, wearing a simple white shirt with a loosened black tie. He had a face that a mother would struggle to love with a nose that seemed like it been broken more than three times throughout his life.

"Can I help you?" Ruby asked, trying to figure out what these two men were here for.

"Hi there," the smaller one greeted with surprising enthusiasm, offering his hand to Ruby. "My name is Eugene Hawk, this is Harold Kelly, we're members of the DSI, and I would like to ask you some questions about the Epsilon Incident one week ago."

"The DSI?" Ruby didn't exactly trust these people. They looked too old-fashioned and had a strange aura about them.

"We're essentially detectives," Eugene Hawk said, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a small leather wallet, flipping it open to reveal identification. Ruby looked at it and it was convincing enough that she relaxed a little bit, even if she still felt a small twinge of suspicion. "May we come in?"

"Sure…" Ruby stood by the door and let the men walk into the living area. Harold Kelly plopped down onto the sofa, his mouth moving up and down slowly as he chewed what Ruby presumed to be gum. Eugene decided to prop himself on the sofa's armrest. Ruby pulled one of the chairs from the dining table and put it in front of the sofa to sit down.

"You _are_ Ruby Ascot, correct?"

"Yes. You said this was about the Epsilon fire?"

"Too a degree, yes," Eugene had a relaxed grin on his face, a vast difference from the craggy face of Harold, who had pulled a small notebook from his pocket and was practically staring a hole into Ruby. "That, and we would like to talk about your roommate, Sabrina Holland. Is she in?"

"No… She's out." Why did they want to talk about Sabrina?

"Perhaps that's better for now." Eugene's grin never faltered. "How long have you known Sabrina, Ruby?"

"About two years."

"Mm… And do you know anything about Sabrina's past?" Eugene asked, cocking his head slightly.

"No…" Ruby had decided that she didn't like this man with his constant grin. It didn't seem genuine – not like Ruby's own smile. It was a grin that resembled a hyena more than anything else. "What does her past have to do with the Epsilon fire?"

"Did Sabrina act strangely in the concert hall, Ruby?" Eugene looked at Ruby as if he already knew everything and merely wanted Ruby to confirm it. "Did she, perhaps, want to leave the hall? Is that why you two left early?"

"I'm not sure—"

"A bit convenient, eh?" Eugene didn't allow Ruby to get a word in. "The two of you leaving just before the fire started. I mean, this was Bridge's concert. No sane person would leave the concert early, save for an emergency. Judging by the fact you had no relations die in the last week, I'd guess there was no big emergency for you to run off to. So why did you leave?"

"I don't know what you're trying to say." Ruby stood up, annoyed and disturbed at this line of questioning. "What happened at the concert hall was an accident. Unless you two have a specific point you're leading to I'd like to ask you to leave.

Eugene leaned forward. "Do you know anything about what happened at the Ferret Inn?"

"The Ferret Inn?"

"She knows nothing, Hawk," Harold spoke for the first time in a thick Irish accent. "We're wasting our time."

"Don't worry, Harold. I was just waiting for…" Eugene turned to the front door. As if on cue, there was a click as a key was twisted in the lock. The door swung open and Sabrina walked in. Almost as soon as she stepped inside she caught sight of Eugene and Harold on the sofa and immediately froze.

A sudden tension filled the air; a stifling atmosphere that Ruby couldn't figure out. It was obvious that Sabrina knew who these two men were.

"Get out…" Sabrina said quietly, her voice simmering.

"Sabrina Holland." Eugene approached and offered her his hand. "It's been a whi-"

"Get out." Sabrina's voice was deathly firm, her eyes staring holes in Eugene.

"There's no need to be like that. We only want to confirm the similarities –" Eugene was interrupted by Sabrina's fist, which caught him by surprise on his jaw. He stumbled back, tripped on the carpet, and fell to his rear. Harold immediately stood up and lurched his large frame towards Sabrina, grabbing her by the collar and actually lifting her off the floor, slamming her against the door.

"You've made a mistake, girl," Harold growled as Sabrina fruitlessly kicked out at him to free herself from his grasp.

"Get off her!" Ruby knew that these men weren't any kind of police officers that she could trust and pulled at Harold's arm. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Drop her, Harold, we're not brutes," Eugene was back up, dusting himself off. Harold grunted in dissatisfaction but let go of Sabrina nevertheless. "Let's go." Harold left the room first, ignoring Sabrina's glare as he walked past. Eugene stopped in front of her before he left. "We're keeping an eye on you, Sabrina. We know what happened at the Ferret Inn and we know what happened at Epsilon... And we know what is going to happen. We'll be back." With that grin on his face, Eugene left, closing the door behind him.

Sabrina immediately locked the door, breathing heavily. Ruby let her have a moment to herself as she went to the kitchen and got two glasses of water. She sat on the sofa and placed the two drinks in front of her. After a moment Sabrina slowly walked over and sat down next to her friend.

"Thanks," Sabrina said as she took one of the glasses. She knew exactly what the question on Ruby's lips was. "The two of them… are investigators, of a kind. Assholes, I say. But what do I know?" Sabrina shook her head.

"What's the Ferret Inn, Sabrina?" Ruby asked, hoping the question wouldn't upset Sabrina any more.

Sabrina could only sigh. "The Ferret Inn… It was… It was where my parents died, Ruby."

"…Oh."

"I don't tell you about my past because it hurts me. I… Don't like to be reminded of what happened there. I'm not going to talk about it anymore than that, though, Ruby. Please don't ask me. All I know is that if those two show up here again, do not let them in. They had no right to question you like that."

"Will you tell me one day? I'm a good listener and it's good to let things off your chest. But I – I won't rush you, this is the only time I'll ask. I want to help with whatever your past holds… I can try, anyway."

"I might… I probably will…" Sabrina leaned back into the cushions of the sofa and closed her eyes. "But for now… For now let's just leave it at that."

"I understand." Ruby finished her drink and allowed her usual smile back onto her face. "You certainly hit him hard, though. Bet that was satisfying."

"It was… It really, really was."


	10. The Impossible Mistake

**Chapter Eight**

 **The Impossible Mistake**

Emerald Dusk had been a spot for aspiring Rock and Roll musicians for nearly twenty years, a place where the up and coming could go without worry of being too harshly judged. It was also a lesser known hang-out spot for teens who enjoyed the music but disliked the thick crowds many of the clubs in London offered. It was small, authentic and simply comfortable.

It was also the spot that the enigma Bridge made his debut in front of about fifty people, who weren't sure what to expect from the tall lanky man with the strange style. After his ten minutes were up, their opinions would help shape millions as time went by.

Down below Emerald Dusk's main building in the basement was the stage area. It was simple enough, with a wooden platform at one end of the room and musical equipment and boxes stacked randomly around the walls. The stage had a few fancy gadgets imported so the owner could get with the 'new crowd'. Three small tubes which would shoot out various kind of pyrotechnics. Not the most impressive things you would see but enough to get some extra excitement for a performance. Most of the time it was a public place, where anyone could venture down to see what new stars were trying to make a future for themselves but at the moment there was a restricted sign hung on the door handle.

Bridge stood on the stage, concentrating intently on his guitar. His tune was improvised, though it sounded like it had been tempered perfectly. His eyes followed his fingers and the pitch-black pick as it moved up and down. He experimented with fast rhythms and slow rhythms, slowly nodding every time he adjusted the tune. Every time Bridge head moved, the beads that were tied into the strands of hair moved and flashed like tiny stars.

Standing with her back against the door outside of the performance area, Lily Talbot couldn't help but smile to herself. It seemed like Bridge hadn't lost any of his edge after the incident at the Epsilon Concert Hall. It was easy enough to sneak into Emerald Dusk, since anyone was allowed to walk in the front door without even a questioning look.

Lily had been here all that time ago, when she was barely a teenager. She smiled softly to herself, remembering the sight of that majestic man standing on the stage, oozing confidence. He was an absolute asshole, sure, but Lily loved that. She loved the fact that Bridge didn't give two thoughts to anything, speaking his mind. He was so good that he had that right. Lily had grown up watching him develop – first, bouncing from band to band, making a name for himself around the local scene. Then joining Razor's Edge and rising them up to national and then international status. After he had disappeared, she had tried to track him down but after finding out he had ended up in Japan of all places, she was forced to sit on her hands and wait…

It proved worth it. Bridge came back with more confidence than ever. She hadn't a chance to listen to his music at the Epsilon Concert Hall but she had sneaked into more than a few of his training sessions in the week he had been back in England and heard just what he had learned from that time over waters.

A sudden jarring chord struck through Lily's ears, making her jolt in surprise. She whipped around, shocked, looking through the glass window of the door to Bridge on the stage. He was staring wide-eyed at the guitar in his hands, paying no attention to anything but the instrument. Lily narrowed her eyes and silently opened the door, slipping into the room and moving to the dark corner. Bridge couldn't have just made a… mistake, could he?

"Hrm…" Bridge took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and started playing again. Once again his tune was perfect. He started slow, strumming as he got into the rhythm. He sped up, his fingers quickly turning into a blur as the music struck out over the stage. He slowed down again, throwing some long chords in there before speeding up once more. Then his pick seemed to get caught and flung from his fingers, sending another broken chord echo around the stage. " _Damn it_!" Bridge growled, watching the black guitar pick bounce down into the crowd area.

Lily couldn't believe what she had seen and heard. It had to be a fluke, right? In all her time she had watched Bridge, all those years, watching him rise from nothing to become an international superstar, through all the training sessions with Razor's Edge and performing in front of millions, Bridge had never made a mistake. Not a single one.

Bridge was a musical genius, after all. One of the first things Lily had done after coming in contact with the man was look up his history, which was easy enough to find if you knew where to look. He had grown up in the Somerset country-side, in an old English manor as if it was stuck in the Victorian Era. His parents were both musical prodigies themselves – his mother was a violinist that had performed all over the world; able to manipulate all kinds of string instruments as well. His father was a pianist who once played a twenty minute solo without losing even an moment of the crowd's attention.

But Bridge… Bridge could do it all. He could play the violin to perfection, he could play the piano with ease, he could play the trumpet, the guitar, the drums, he could sing, dance, and perform. One story from someone who claimed to be an old classmate of Bridge's said that he had overshadowed the entire music class with a steel triangle.

Hearing him make a mistake – no, _two_ mistakes – something was very, very wrong.

Bridge had dragged a microphone stand on stage this time. He held an old-style microphone in his hand, the kind with the wire still attached plugged somewhere at the back. He placed it on the stand and stood staring at it for a moment. He counted to himself four beats before opening his mouth to sing.

His voice was one of a kind. It wasn't too high nor too deep. It seemed to fit his persona and look perfectly, with little room for error. It was a voice that could woo men and ladies alike, if Bridge so felt like it. It was a voice that could make a nun blush and get an old man dancing again.

Lily listened with her eyes closed, just taking it in. His voice was very special to her, worming its way deep into her heart. Even if Bridge refused to accept it and called her a nuisance, Lily knew that she and Bridge shared a connection deeper than even lovers.

As sudden as a gunshot, Bridge's voice cracked.

Both Lily and Bridge reacted the same. Their eyes opened and they stared at the microphone, wondering a brief moment if it was somehow the microphone's fault. But no… Bridge's voice had decided that it didn't want to work for the first time ever.

"What… the… hell…" Bridge's short temper emerged, his face growing heated. "…is going on!?" He kicked at the stand in a fury, letting it clatter over the floor. The microphone spun on the floor as the cord stretched out in front of Bridge, though the lanky man was paying no attention to it. Instead he was looking at the palm of his hand intensely.

His fingers were shaking. Bridge clenched his fist tightly. At that moment, his eyes moved across the room and saw a shadow in the corner. A flash of red moved over his head as he recognised that small girl that was consistently and constantly stalking him. He took one step forward; Something was wrong with him and he knew it and he just wanted to shout at something, just wanted to break something. However, before he could say a word the microphone cord caught at his ankle.

The normally sure-footed Bridge stumbled, slamming his left foot hard on the stage in an effort to stop himself from falling. Instead, it slipped on the polished wood, sending Bridge sprawling forward, his right eye falling straight towards the middle pyrotechnic tube.

At the last moment Bridge moved his long arms and slammed his palms down either side of the tube, stopping his momentum. His eye was only centimetres from the tube, centimetres from a very embarrassing death. Many rock-stars had died in many ways, but Bridge guessed that impaled by a pyrotechnic tube was a first.

What Bridge hadn't seen was the cord of his microphone snapping out of the wall as he tripped. The cord swung through the air like a pendulum, catching on a small black console which would usually control the pyrotechnics during a performance. The three metal prongs caught the switch which would fire off all three of the tubes simultaneously.

Bridge saw the spark flash inside the tube and knew his time was up…

…and it would have been had his sole audience not realised what was happening. The moment Lily had watched Bridge trip, she had saw the cord snap through the air. Something inside her knew that she had to move – and move she did. A life of running coursed through her veins as she pushed away from the corner and sprinted over the floor of the small performance room. Near the stage she took a running jump, leaping up onto the stage just as the cord hit the switch of the pyrotechnic controls.

She didn't have time to warn him or even shove him out of the way – she was not strong enough to move his body like she needed. So instead she swung her foot back and like a pro footballer swung it through the air towards the tube. Her foot hit the tube just as the spark flashed.

There was a massive flash of red and green sparks that burst nearly as high as the ceiling, mixed in with a roar of pain. Bridge threw himself backwards, clutching at his face. Lily was forced to cover her own face as the sparks shot out diagonally from the broken tube, showing no sign of stopping like it should after five seconds. Blinking away the stars in her eyes, Lily ran over to the control panel and initiated shutdown. The sparks sputtered and died down, allowing Lily to focus on Bridge.

He had managed to scramble to the back of the stage, his back straight against the wall, both hands pressed against the right side of his face. Lily ran over and knelt in front of him but Bridge swatted at her.

"You…" Bridge sneered, breathing heavily. "You are… a…" Bridge let out another snarl of pain, his breathing growing more rapid. "A… a…" Bridge's left eye rolled into the back of his head and his hands dropped, revealing to Lily a ghastly sight.

The entire right side of his face had been burnt off. What remained of his skin was blistered and raw red, his ear seemed all but gone and his hair was still smoking. She could almost swear she saw the white of his orbital bone next to wear his contact-covered eye should have stared at her, only the lenses must have melted into his eyeball judging by the yellowed remnants of the lens.

"Bridge?!" Lily tried to shake him by the shoulders to no avail. He was still alive, thankfully, the pain must have forced him unconscious. The fact that he had overcome the pain momentarily to curse at her showed her exactly the strength Bridge held. She quickly dialled for an ambulance, using her free hand to clutch Bridge's right hand. "I'm here, Bridge," she muttered over the calling tones. "I'll be right beside you, okay? Always. Hang on for me, okay... Hang on..."


	11. Survivor's Guilt

**Chapter Nine**

 **Survivor's Guilt**

The afternoon had actually been rather pleasant, despite the morning's unwelcome visitors. Sabrina had seemed willing to do anything to distract herself from Eugene and Harold's arrival. She and Ruby had prepared lunch together and watched a show on Ruby's TV. Ruby was glad to see that Sabrina was making an effort to be her normal self after being so cagey in the last week.

That didn't stop her from switching over to the news, though. After they had finished lunch and the show, Sabrina had switched it over and watched the news carefully. It was as depressing as usual, Ruby found. The third body in the Ripper-esque murder's had been found in Dorset; a little boy had gone missing in North Yorkshire; a pile-up not too far from London with one fatality and three serious injuries. It seemed like there was no good news now-a-days.

Ruby zoned out a little bit, curling herself into the sofa, allowing Sabrina the time to watch the news. Her attention only focused back on the TV when a picture of Bridge was broadcast next to a stoic-faced reporter.

"…Reports that he is in critical condition at the St. Thomas Hospital with third degree burns to the right side of his face. The full extent of these injuries are currently unknown. Bridge was recently involved in the tragedy at the Epsilon Concert Hall, which resulted in…"

The TV suddenly shut off, making Ruby jump. She faced Sabrina with a questioning look. But Sabrina had put the remote down and was looking at a small notebook that Ruby had never seen before. "Why wasn't it her…? Must have been avoided… Yes… Would it have been reported? It would have, I know it." She was scribbling something but quickly finished and tucked the notebook away in her shirt pocket.

"…Sabrina?"

"It's nothing." Sabrina shook her head at Ruby and stood up. "I'm going for a walk."

"A walk?"

"Yes." With that, Sabrina started walking towards the door but Ruby didn't want to leave it at that. She stood up herself.

"Sabrina, what aren't you telling me?"

"You told me you wouldn't ask again."

"This… accident with Bridge got you all worked up," Ruby gestured to the TV. She didn't feel much of anything about it – she learned when she was small not to worry too much about celebrities in hospital. They tended to be fine if their injuries were reported on TV.

"I'm going for a walk, Ruby. I'll be back in an hour or so," Sabrina didn't even look back at Ruby as she left the room. Ruby could only watch her back, concerned.

* * *

Trenton pulled his motorcycle outside the café, killing the engine and pulling his helmet off. He took a moment to gather his thoughts before stepping onto the pavement and looking up at the large blue sign that read 'The Writing Room.' It was a modern café that encouraged you to bring laptops or other such implements while you ate. It was relatively small and unknown but was slowly growing in popularity.

The café was unusual in that it was two floors. The ground floor was made up mostly of booths flat against the wall with the main serving area curving around a corner, selling homemade cakes, sandwiches, and drinks – both hot and cold. The second floor was made out more like a traditional restaurant, complete with dark green tablecloths and serviettes. There was even a balcony which seated two tables, looking over Chiltern Street.

Trenton rested his helmet on the bike and headed inside the café, letting the small bell chime through the homely room. He headed straight for the till towards a familiar red-headed middle-aged woman. "Hey, Kate,"

"Oh, hey Trenton! How are you?"

"I'm doing good, thank you. Is Meg available?"

"Meg? Yeah, she's upstairs." Kate frowned and leaned towards him. "Hey, are you two okay?"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"She hasn't been… well, herself, recently. You two haven't had an argument have you?"

Trenton shook his head with a small smile. "Remember we aren't a couple, Kate, but no, we haven't had any kind of argument. She's still a bit shaken from last week."

"Hmm…" Kate nodded her head in understanding. "Tragic… Well, head on up and have a talk with her if you like. We got Ryan in today so he can cover the tables."

"Thank you," Trenton nodded his thanks and made his way to the stairs. This was the first time in the week that he had managed to come out here to talk to Meagan. He was hoping, being in this kind of territory, she'd be up for talking, as she had been unnaturally quiet back at home. He had been working when she had been working as well, so today was the prime time to see if she was ready to talk. Meagan really did love this café, Trenton knew.

He reached the top of the stairs and immediately located her in the dark blue t-shirt with 'The Writing Room' written in small flowing text. He watched as she served a table. Kate was right, Meagan didn't seem herself even here at the work she loved. She would usually talk to the customers and find out all sorts of fun stories. Now she quietly just filled up their drinks and turned with a sigh. Her eyes connected with Trenton's as she turned away and Trenton caught her frown before she forced a smile.

"Trent? What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Meg. Well, actually, I was kind of hoping we could talk?"

"…Here? I'm working, man, you know that. I can't just-"

"Kate said I can cover," a tanned young man suddenly said from behind Trent with a smile. "So no worries Meagan."

"Ryan…" Meagan nodded reluctantly. "Alright, Trent, let's go out back." Meagan quietly led him back downstairs and through the employees only door, which led into the kitchen. The two staff members looked at her and Trent with bemused expressions as they left through the fire escape, which some of the staff used to take a smoke break.

As soon as the door started to close, Trenton started to talk. He didn't want to give Meagan a chance to somehow worm her way out of this. "I'll get straight to it Meg… We need to talk. You haven't been yourself since Epsilon. You haven't wrote a thing, you haven't talked to me, you're not even enjoying yourself here… I'm worried, Meg. You can't just shut yourself out. We talk about problems, we always have."

"There's nothing to talk about, Trent, but thanks for your concern," Meagan smiled. "Really. I appreciate it."

"Come on, Meg, you know me better than that. You just aren't… you."

"I just need time, Trent. What do you want me to say? I barely escaped dying a week ago. I barely escaped not existing any more. Either of us existing any more."

"To be fair, we'd both still exist… People'd mourn us."

" _Not_ helping," Meg fumed and for a moment Trent saw more of the Meg he knew there as she pouted. "The point is the concert hall was a harsh reminder that things are… temporary."

"Come on, Meg." Trent smiled warmly. "You know what I say about thoughts like that – there's no point to thinking them. Thinking about death is like thinking 'Why is the sky blue?' or 'Why do we need to pay taxes?' It just is and we just do, there's no point."

"Mmm… Those are _very_ philosophical questions. Why is the sky blue, indeed." Meagan showed that smile again, which let go of some of the tension Trenton had in his shoulders. "Look, Trent, I'm sorry I haven't talked to you about it. I just… don't like talking about close calls to death. You know I had that phase in school where I just couldn't see the point."

"Mm," Trenton nodded. That had been a dark time for both of them. It took Trenton all his will to help guide Meagan through those feelings that made her feel so insignificant. Damn her mother all to hell for that one.

"But thank you… I guess… I guess I did need a little talk. I'm sorry for avoiding you. Best friends are great for talking to but… sometimes there's things that aren't great for talking about… like periods."

"Great…" Trenton smiled. "Just what I needed to think about."

"Heh," Meagan playfully punched his shoulder. "I'm feeling better already. I think we're due pizza for dinner today. Up for getting some?"

"Take-out or supermarket?"

"Duh, take-out."

"Meat or vegetables?"

"If you think I'm going to eat a pizza without meat I will throw you off our balcony." Meagan grinned. "I really ought to get back to work though before Kate thinks up some new rumours about us sleeping together. Thanks, Trent."

"No problem, Meg. Keep at it." Trent looked at her with a smile, glad to see she was showing the real side of herself. Meagan held the door open for him, allowing him to go through. She watched his back, her smile fading.

 _Why was is so damn hard to tell him the truth?_

* * *

"Phew…. Come on, come on, you can do this, you can do this…" Corey muttered to himself, standing on the doorstep of the small house. "You've done this twice…"

Corey had been making the rounds of visiting his friend's homes. Knowing they were gone… it took Corey a lot to get through that. James… Gordon… Carl… They were his best friends. He had grown up with them and now… Corey shook his head.

He hadn't even known they were gone for a while. The police had more intense questions for him as he was accused of pulling the fire alarm. Eventually they found that no, he wasn't a terrorist, and no, he didn't have a history of arson. Once the reports came in about the malfunctioning lights and the old building, they had let him go with a warning not to go pulling any more fire alarms.

Corey had finally managed to gather his courage today, to make his way to the parents' homes. He wasn't sure what he expected to talk about but he had wanted to… say something. Do something. The three of them had helped him so much through school it would awful not to try.

If it hadn't been for James, Corey would have been bullied for his goofy looks, no doubt. Thankfully Corey had met James on the first day of school and got his friendship since then. The first bully who had made fun of Corey got a fist to the face from James and funnily enough no-one else decided to make Corey a target. The strong James, the cocky James, the confident James… Corey would never hear that arrogant laugh again and that hurt the most.

If it hadn't been for Gordon, Corey doubted he would have made it through the exams. Gordon was so smart, not only in schoolwork but in personal matters too. He knew just what to say and when to say it. If Corey had an issue with homework, no problem, Gordon would not only tell him the answers but _explain_ them as well. If Corey had an issue with girls, Gordon had it covered. He would advise Corey in the best way to romance that particular kind of girl. Kind Gordon, smart Gordon, skilled Gordon… Never would that intelligent smile grace his face again.

If it hadn't been for Carl… Well, Carl hadn't really given Corey anything to go through life with but Carl was probably the most friend-like of the three. He was the one with the gadgets. The one with the gaming consoles, the one who hosted the bad-ass rounds on Mario Kart, or the intense matches of Mortal Kombat, or the strategic gameplay of Command and Conquer. It wasn't only video games – Corey and James had witnessed one of the most intense games of Chess between Gordon and Carl that had them on the edge of their seats. The fact that Carl had actually made Chess interesting was unbelievable. But no more. No more would Carl be able to tell him what cheat codes to use in a game, or what walkthrough to use, or what hidden paths could be found…

Corey squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to take a long breath in and then out. It was Carl's father's home that he was standing outside right now. He had already visited both Gordon's parents and James' parents and neither had gone well.

Gordon's parents had been respectful enough but firm. They needed time alone in their grief. They recognised that Corey was a good friend but they just weren't able to talk to him in this time of mourning. They had promised to call him later, though.

James' parent's, on the other hand… He hadn't even seen the mother. His father, though, a notorious drunk, had already had far too much to drink. He was practically falling over but had slipping into a rage upon seeing Corey. He had screamed that it was all Corey's fault and had roared bloody murder. Corey had barely avoided the fist that had flew his way and had to actually run off the property.

Hopefully it would go a little bit better here at Carl's.

The door opened and Carl's father, Graham, stood on the porch. The older man looked worn out but still showed strength. Corey supposed he shouldn't be surprised since his wife had died early on in Carl's life. It was another death close to home, though, and it showed.

"Corey Walker…" Graham smiled softly.

"Mr. Gretsch. I… I just wanted to visit… I… I wanted to apologise from the bottom of my heart about what happened to Carl."

Graham took a breath. "Thank you, Corey. But there isn't anything to apologise for. It wasn't your fault. It was just a… just another accident."

"If there is anything I can do-"

"I appreciate the sentiment but there isn't anything you can do for me, Corey. Carl is with Lyla now. Perhaps it's time for me to join them but… that isn't what they would want. Please… I need time to be alone. It's still… raw… in my heart. But thank you for coming. I know Carl appreciated you. You and the other two really helped him through school."

"He helped _us_ , Mr. Gretsch. Honestly."

"I'm glad to hear that. I'll… see you later, Corey. Thank you, again." With that, Graham gently closed the door. Corey sighed. It could have gone better but at least he hadn't been running through the lawn.

It was so rough to see how the deaths of his friends had affected those that they knew. Corey knew that life would never be the same without them. He couldn't think negative, though, he couldn't. He knew exactly what they would say:

"Don't beat yourself up man, shit happens. That's life for ya," James would say with that grin. "Look on the bright side – you haven't got me to stop you for going after my sister! Though I will haunt you forever if you even look at her!"

"It's actually a good thing to experience death so young. It'll help you in the future when the inevitable happens to those that you love. It may be very hard for you now, Corey, but it'll make you a stronger man," Gordon would say with a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"We always wondered who would outlive the others," Carl would say while tapping away on his phone. "We just assumed it would be when we were in our eighties sitting around a coffee table laughing at stories of our grandchildren. So, congrats."

The hard thing was that Corey knew that was exactly what they would say. There would be no blame, no regret, nothing. They would want Corey to go on and Corey hated that. Why did he have to the one to survive? He wasn't smart like Carl, wasn't skilled like Gordon, wasn't confident like James… He was just… just a what? Just a joker, that's what he was.

Corey felt these feelings on his shoulder and had to sit down on the curb outside of Carl's house. He pulled his beanie down over his eyes, clutching the fabric tightly between his fingers. "I'm… I'm so sorry, guys… I'm sorry…"

He could almost feel them standing around him, with sad gazes. Their stares weighed down on his shoulders and head, forcing it between his knees. Drops splashed against the tarmac and Corey lost control. All that grief, all that pain; it welled up within his heart and forced itself out as he sobbed through his fingers.

All alone, Corey had only one question running through his head:

Why did he have to the one to survive?


	12. Loved Ones

**Chapter Ten**

 **Loved Ones**

Eddy Cool gently walked through the white corridor with blue highlights, glancing at the plaques on the wall as he passed. The St. Thomas Hospital was surprisingly quiet and the corridor Eddy was in had no-one walking about. He had gotten instructions from the reception, after explaining that yes, he knew Bridge, and yes, he would sort of kind of consider the superstar a friend. The receptionist had apparently been told not to let anyone suspicious visit Bridge in case they were a journalist or a blogger ready to leak images. Eddy was forced to explain himself and present his business card until the receptionist was satisfied.

The white corridors reminded Eddy far too much of his childhood, fuelling his dislike for hospitals. Years of coming home after school to visit his mother. She had been so strong, staying on the right side of the line eight years after she was given a four-month notice of her death. When she finally did go, it had been one of the saddest moments of Eddy's life. Thank God he had Felicity, else he wasn't sure how he would have gone about his life. Both Felicity and his mother had told him to always smile, no matter the circumstances, so Eddy had made a career out of smiling for the cameras.

He had spent the first years after college as an extra on various TV shows, but found the scripted aspect of it put him off. He eventually merged into news stories, a stint as a gameshow host, until finally he found his calling in hosting all sorts of music events, from small performances in a bar to huge concerts like the For The People Festival.

Finally, he found the room he was looking for and gently knocked on the door to announce his entrance. He had been told that Bridge had not woken up since his injury but Eddy still felt like he needed to visit. Apparently a girl had been by Bridge's side the whole way through, refusing to leave Bridge for even a second. Eddy found it an amusing thought that Bridge was hiding a girlfriend somewhere. The man had the social skills of a brick.

Getting no response from his knock, Eddy gently opened the door and for a moment couldn't register what he was looking at.

Bridge was still on the hospital bed, the covers wrapped over his slim frame. He was so tall that his feet hung over the edge of the bed. It would have been funny if it was anyone other than Bridge. His eyes were closed – well, his left eye was. Eddy couldn't see the right under the swath of bandages wrapped around Bridge's right-side of his face.

And lying curled up in a chair like a cat next to Bridge was a girl that Eddy recognised. She was clutching Bridge's hand tightly, but her back was rising softly. It was the girl who had somehow sneaked into the back of the theatre, and the girl who had jumped on stage and arguably saved Bridge's life – if pissing Bridge off to the point of abandoning his own performance could be called such.

Seeing the two of them in the strangely serene position, Eddy felt like he was intruding on a special moment. The girl clearly cared for Bridge, even if the musician didn't reciprocate those feelings.

However, just as soon as Eddy turned his back he heard a soft groan followed by a yawn. He glanced back to see the girl stretching, making herself seem even more like a feline. Her eyes instantly connected to Eddy's and narrowed in suspicion. "What do you want?" Her voice was full of venom but quiet so as not to disturb Bridge.

Eddy decided to head further into the room and sat on the other seat placed against the wall. "I just… wanted to see how Bridge is getting on."

"He's doing fine. Bridge is strong."

"Yeah, he really is…" Eddy nodded and decided to venture into risky territory. "You're… the girl who came backstage at the concert hall, aren't you?"

"What are you going to do about it?" The girl's form tightened up. "You've got no proof, the whole place burned down."

"No, no, no," Eddy put his hands up to alleviate the girl's suspicions. "That's long and done with. Harmless, really. You saved Bridge and I guess by extension you saved me. So thank you." Eddy offered his hand to the bemused girl. "My name is Eddy Cool, by the way."

The girl stared at the hand suspiciously but after a moment quickly grasped it and gave it an awkward shake. "Lily."

"A nice name, that one."

"I suppose."

There was a moment of awkward silence between the two, clearly full of differences. Eddy ventured to breach the void, "How do you know Bridge?"

"Gerald and I've known each other since his debut."

Eddy's eyes widened. "Excuse me? Did you say… No one knows Bridge's real name."

"No one but me," something flashed in Lily's eyes. "What about you. You're one of the few people Bridge actually holds conversation with."

"We're just… business partners, of sorts. I hosted a number of Razor's Edge's concerts and helped him out when he left them, even if he doesn't like to admit it." Eddy smiled at Lily. "Well, it looks like he's in good hands. Seems like he owes you again for saving his life."

"Bridge doesn't owe me a thing," Lily replied stiffly.

"Heh… You're one of a kind, you know? I guess you share that with Bridge." Eddy stood up. "Can you get him to call me when he wakes up? I am concerned for him. He'll laugh at me, I know, but still…"

"I'll ask him, at least."

"Thank you. I'll leave you two to it."

Lily watched Eddy leave the room and the door swing shut. She looked down at Bridge's bandaged face in concern before curling back up on the chair, tucking her legs underneath her.

* * *

"… _And then he came up to me and hit on me, can you believe that? Just swaggers on up with that cocky smile of his and goes, 'Hey there Maylene, you wanna… You know?"_

 _Jason smiled softly from his position on the sofa. Maylene was draped across him, her curly black hair tousled around her neck and her blue eyes sparkling. He knew Maylene would never betray him like that. "And what did you do?"_

 _"I may have accidentally thrown my drink into his face." Maylene shrugged with a smile. "He left soaked, completely embarrassed. That'll teach him. Besides, he didn't know, but you're the one for me," Maylene gently tapped her fingers up Jason's chest. They hovered at his collar and tickled at his neck._

 _Jason looked into her eyes and trailed his own fingers down the small of her back. Maylene tensed up as his hands searched further down. She smiled widely and looked with luscious eyes at Jason. The two stared at each other before Maylene giggled and Jason chuckled. They locked lips, searching each other's mouths lovingly. They finally pulled away, panting._

 _"I think… the bedroom'll be much more comfortable that this old sofa…" Jason breathed, although to be perfectly honest he could have taken Maylene right there and then and mourned his back in the morning. However Maylene pulled away from him and pulled her small crop top over her shoulders, twirling it around her finger before throwing it in the corner. She moved sexily to the stairs and Jason just had to follow, pulling off his own shirt on the way._

 _By the time they had made it to the bedroom, Jason was impatient to go. He pulled off his trousers and threw them by the cupboard, turning around to watch Maylene undress._

 _"WHY DON'T YOU LISTEN TO MY PROBLEMS!" Maylene screeched, her voice echoing around the room. Jason blinked, shocked. She held a wine bottle in her hand and staggered slightly as she approached Jason. "It's not all about you, Jason! I have my problems, I have my situations!"_

 _"Maylene? I-"_

 _"DON'T! Just don't say a word!" Maylene was furious and Jason just didn't why. She swung the wine bottle in the air and crashed it off the wall, sending the red liquid everywhere. Shards of glass dropped to the carpet but Jason wasn't worried about that. Maylene was holding the broken neck of the bottle and swinging her arm._

 _He watched the glass soar through the air but couldn't do a thing as it slashed into his cheek, tearing through the flesh. Jason yelled out in pain, falling back onto the bed, blood seeping down his bare chest and onto the bed. It seemed far too much blood for a simple wound like this but Jason paid it no mind. He pushed up off the bed into a seated position and all his breath caught in his throat._

 _Swinging back and forth slowly like a twisted pendulum, Maylene hung from the roof, a rope tight around her neck. Her hair cascaded over her face, though Jason could see a sheen of blood over the left side of her face._

 _"M-Maylene!" Jason ran from the bed towards her, putting his arms around her waist to alleviate the weight. But it was no use… Her body was stiff, rigor mortis already setting in. "Maylene! Why?!" Jason pulled away, tears spilling down his cheeks._

 _Her head suddenly snapped upwards and Maylene stared sharply into Jason's eyes, petrifying him. She spoke two words, which echoed around Jason's thoughts, ping-ponging back and forth._

 _"_ _ **YOUR FAULT!**_ _"_

* * *

Jason woke with a start, sweat beaded around his face. His back moved up and down as he fought to control his breathing. He forced himself to slow the breathing down, counting two seconds to draw in a breath and two seconds to push out. After finally regaining his senses, he looked around the hotel room hopelessly.

The events at the Epsilon Concert Hall had forced nightmares every night since. They had gotten worse and worse and it was starting to affect Jason mentally. He cancelled his plane ticket – there was no way he could be on a small space like that with the way his mind was. What if he fell asleep and caused a scene? There was no way, no way. So he had extended his stay at the hotel.

Jason's fingers traced the scar on his cheek, which was throbbing. Whenever his scar hurt, he knew he was going to be in for a rough day. Jason pulled himself up from the bed and padded over to the curtains, wincing as he pulled them open and sunlight streamed through the room. It must've have been the middle of the day. Great, now his sleeping patterns were screwed as well.

He headed for the bathroom and pulled the light cord, moving over to the sink and splashing his face with cold water. That helped, at least temporarily. Jason looked up into the mirror and frowned at what he saw. He didn't just look ragged now, he looked ill. There were bags under his eyes and his skin was pale.

"Look what you've done to yourself." Jason stiffened at the feminine words and watched an all too familiar face walk up to his shoulder. Maylene smiled softly. "You're killing yourself, Jason."

"…This is… because of you…" Jason replied, knowing in his heart that he was speaking to an illusion – a ghost – but it was better than ignoring it. "Because of what you did."

"You know why I did what I did. And I know why you did what you did. We've come to terms with that, haven't we?"

"Maybe you have but I can't. I can't come to terms with it. I'll die before I do."

"That's just you being stubborn, Jason. You always were when it came to matters like this."

"Hmph… " Jason shook his head. "I was… so close to being in the Concert Hall when the accident happened. I hate being that close to death."

"Look on the bright side. At least you didn't die. Not yet, at least. Get your act together."

"What do you want me to do?" Jason could feel anger sparking in his chest. "I'm talking to a fucking ghost, after all. I can't just waltz back to Canada, whistling away my worries. I can't let mom and dad seem me like this. I just can't."

"Why? Ah, don't answer that, we know why don't we? Because they'd be so disappointed that you'd reverted back to how you were when I did what I did. Have you even been outside in the last week?"

"You know I haven't."

"I just wanted to hear it from your own lips. You need to get out into the sun, Jason. You need to go eat out somewhere. You need to meet someone."

"Meet someone?"

"Find someone new."

"No-one can replace you."

"I'm not saying replace me. You wouldn't want another me anyway. It would just happen like it happened. You need someone else. Someone who'd keep control of you."

"There's no-one like that."

"You won't know if you don't look."

"I do know… I don't need to look."

"Then it's your loss. You can't complain when you're moping around like a zombie. This isn't the man I fell in love with."

"Tell me, who was the man you fell in love with?"

"I fell in love with Jason Ryan, the confident boy who wasn't afraid to say what he was thinking. I fell in love with Jason Ryan, who was top in his class for most of his lessons. I fell in love with Jason Ryan, who whispered sweet nothings to me by the fire on cold, cold nights. I fell in love with that man, wherever that man is."

"He's dead and gone. He followed you to the void. He's broken now."

" _He's_ not broken, Jason. _Your_ broken."

"Same difference."

"Not really."

"I don't think I want to talk to you anymore."

And just like that, Maylene was gone and Jason was alone in the bathroom, alone with his tears and his grief. His body crumpled and Jason could only curl up on the bathroom floor, weeping at his weakness.


	13. Smile

**Chapter Eleven**

 **Smile**

"Morning Lee," Eddy greeted his young receptionist with his trademark smile.

"Oh, sir, welcome back," Lee stood up nervously. "How are you? I mean, since the accident you've been off, haven't you? I mean, that meant I had the week off, but-"

"Loosen up," Eddy shook his head at the worried Lee. "Everything's fine. There's no point to thinking about what happened. It was an accident. A tragic one at that, but still an accident. Onto business. What am I getting myself into today?"

Lee nodded and pushed his glasses back up onto his nose. "Yes, sir. Rebecka is still disgruntled for having her meeting pushed back a week but she'll be in at five today."

"Wonderful. Hopefully she's taken her pills today. Always a good start to being a rock star, taking drugs that young."

"And Mr. Meedle called in to tell you he is arriving at seven."

"Dave?" Eddy groaned. "Christ… I've been dreading this meeting. Don't worry, Lee, if I get fired, I won't let you get dragged down with me. You've worked your ass of me and I really appreciate… Hmm," Eddy put a finger to his chin in thought. "Now I think about it, I really don't thank you that often. How do you feel about coming out with me, Felicity, and a couple of her friends tomorrow? We're going drinking and I'd love for you to join us."

"I… uh…" Lee nervously licked his lips. "That is, not necessarily my scene, Eddy, sir, I—"

"I hear one of them is bringing along her daughter. About your age, so I hear." Eddy grinned mischievously. "So, wanna come?"

Lee blushed furiously, mumbling, "That wouldn't be a problem."

"I'll give you a call when we're planning on going out and pick you up, okay? Right, time to delve into the paperwork…" Eddy rolled his eyes and pushed the handle of his door, glancing at Lee in surprise when the door barely budged. "I think we need to oil… this…" Eddy rammed his shoulder into the door, "Door!" The door finally opened, almost sending Eddy sprawling.

He grabbed the door frame to stop himself falling and looked in surprise at the massive amount of white envelopes on the ground. "Jesus Christ… Lee, did an angry postman dump his bag in my office?"

"Huh?" Lee poked his head over Eddy's shoulder and blinked at the envelopes. "I didn't know that was… did… did someone break in?"

"Hmm…" Eddy fished one of the envelopes and turned it over in his hands. It was completely blank. No name, no address, no stamp, nothing. Though there was clearly something inside it. Eddy pulled open the tab and grabbed the piece of paper inside. He pulled it out and frowned upon reading the short, simple sentence. "'Thousands of lives are on your hands.' Lovely." Eddy threw the envelope into plastic bin next to the door.

"Why would someone write that?" Lee asked, aghast.

"Hate letters, Lee. It's nothing new to me. That was actually quite mild. I tell you what, people can be crazy. When I left the game shows to work in this gig, people treated me like I was scum. I guess they thought they ought to decide how I go about my life." Eddy looked in another envelope. "Oh look at this one. 'You'll never clean your hands of my Percy's blood.'" Eddy shook his head. "Ridiculous."

Lee had leaned down to pick up one particular thick envelope. As he picked it up, its contents fell out against the wooden floor. Both of them looked down at a small image of a young man with a wide-smile on his face. It was stapled to another piece of paper, of which the words read: 'You killed Thomas, you bastard. I hope you rot in hell.' Lee picked it up and threw it in the bin with disgust. "Do people not have anything better to do? You're only the host."

"Ah, Lee, people need a scapegoat." Eddy started throwing the letters into the bin without reading them. "They need someone to blame for the death of their loved ones. Seeing as I was the face of that concert, it's easy to make me the figurehead. But words written down in pen aren't going to hurt me. Give it a month and this'll die down. I can't do anything for these people so I'll let them air their anger at me."

"You've been nothing but a good person, Eddy," Lee frowned. "You don't deserve this kind of treatment."

"Mmm…" Eddy threw the final envelope into the over-stuffed bin. "Well, that's that. I'll let you get back to it, Lee." Eddy held the door open for Lee and gently shut it behind the receptionist. He stared at the bin and his smile slowly faded, turned into a grimace. His breath grew ragged under his breath. Eddy could feel the anger simmering in his throat. What right did these people have to blame him for the death of their loved ones? He had lost friends, co-workers, people he had known for years. Some of the backstage crew were like family to him. These kind of letters were beyond selfish.

Eddy walked over to his chair and sat down in front of his computer, rubbing his temples. What a wonderful way to start work again. He booted up the computer and waited until his desktop showed up. Eddy opened up his browser and then his e-mails, looking at the one-hundred-eight-six e-mails. Quickly glancing through it, he could tell the majority of them were even more hate mail. How they had gotten his personal e-mail address he couldn't guess.

After filtering through the filth, he was left with only five messages. One was from a client who had a very specific plan for their first gig. They wanted to control everything from the music to the lighting to the carpet. Eddy wouldn't usually deal with that kind of egotism but they paid good money. He looked through the list of instructions and sighed, clicking the print button.

As his printer whirred, he looked at the next two in the list. One was from Dave, reiterating what he had told Lee over the phone. Another was from his father, who was asking how Eddy was. Eddy felt that anger burn up in his throat again. They barely even talked since Eddy's mother died and they had drifted apart. The man was a coward and Eddy was loathe to talk to him again, even in word form.

He shook his head, annoyed at his own thoughts. Eddy's father was only concerned about his welfare, it was only right to reply. Just not quite now. Making a mental note to make a heartfelt reply, he scrolled to the next e-mail.

A loud clunking sound interfered with his reading and Eddy looked at the printer. "Jesus… not again…" Eddy thumped the printer with his foot, causing it to sputter but turn back to the normal noise. "Thank you…"

The next e-mail was from one of Felicity's friends, apologising profusely for not being able to make it to their night out. Betty? Eddy didn't even know a Betty. Felicity had so many friends that it was hard to keep track. Working in a charity shop certainly brought about all sorts of connections, Eddy guessed. How Felicity could work in a small store day in day out was beyond Eddy but she insisted that it was the perfect thing for her. To each their own, he guessed.

The final e-mail that wasn't spouting death threats was another from Dave Meedle. This one made Eddy frown all the more. Dave was worried that this business at the concert hall would do terrible things to the company's customer base. Despite the fact that Bridge was freshly injured, Dave was wondering if Eddy could set up another gig in the next week. The gall of the man. "Fuck you, Dave," Eddy muttered, sending a quick response that Bridge hadn't even woken up and when he did, he doubted that the superstar would want to perform so quickly. If Dave didn't like that then Dave could suck it.

The printer coughed again and Eddy gave it a swift kick one more time. This time the whole thing gave a grunt, a shake, and then became still. "Oh, come on. Why do you do this to me?" Eddy groaned and pushed away from the desk to kneel down in front of the printer. "What's wrong with you, eh? Want to screw me over, is that it?" Eddy fiddled with the printer's buttons to no response. He pulled out the paper but the digital screen still said that the paper was jammed. "There is no paper, you idiot machine. This would have been quicker just writing the damn list."

After a few annoyed thumps, the printer remained inert. "Fine, fine, I understand." Eddy shook his head and pulled at the printer's hatch where the ink was contained. Maybe there was some kind of jam in the innards of the printers? However, as soon as Eddy pulled off the hatch there was a sudden puff of black that spat right into his eyes.

"Ah, Christ!" Eddy's eyes burned instantly as it came in contact with what Eddy supposed was the ink from a split cartridge. He stumbled back, blinded, cursing his own foolishness. "Lee!" Eddy roared, taking another step back. "Lee, get me-"

Eddy took another step but the back of his thigh hit something, taking Eddy by surprise. He tilted backwards and Eddy swung his arms, trying to regain his balance. For a moment he seemed to be on the right angle, but his body dropped and there was a loud crash and the shattering of glass. A lance of pain shot through Eddy's chest and back, but he was unable to see what he had just fell through, although he could guess.

It was the glass table, it had to be.

"Lee…" Eddy yelled again but was surprised to find his voice came out at a croak. This'll be one heck of a story to tell Felicity tonight. Fell into a glass table.. she'd laugh her socks off.

"Sir!?" Eddy hadn't even heard the door open but he could hear Lee running into the room. The footsteps stopped and Eddy heard an intake of breath. That didn't sound right…

"Lee, I'm fine. Can you just get me a tissue or something so I can get this damn ink out of my eyes."

"B-But, Sir…"

"Lee! This stuff is burning my fucking eyes!" Eddy didn't mean to hiss at his receptionist but sometimes the boy could be dense. "And a glass of water, yeah?"

He heard what sounded like a sniffle and then Lee was running. He heard the tap go and swish into a glass, then the ripping of paper. Then Lee was back, his feet crunching against broken glass. Eddy tried to ignore the pain in his chest, blinking furiously. "Pour the water over my eyes – gently! – and then wipe with the tissues, alright?" Eddy croaked.

Lee didn't respond, strangely enough. But Eddy soon felt the water on his face. He forced his eyes to stay open as the warm water splashed down. Slowly his vision became lighter and he could start making out the ceiling and Lee's extremely pale face. Christ, the boy was being dramatic.

"I-I-I need to call the hospital, Eddy, sir, I need—"

"I just fell, Lee. I am not worrying Felicity over something… like…" Eddy blinked as he looked towards his chest. "…this."

When Eddy had fallen, he hadn't fallen directly into the middle of the table like he had thought. Instead he had fallen back-first into a corner and the whole table had collapsed under him – except for the metal pole that made up the leg. Eddy was staring at this pole, sticking three inches above his rib-cage. The blood was a shock as it sloshed down the sides of his jacket and into the floor. Seeing the injury, Eddy lost all his words, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Eddy's hearing became dull but he heard Lee calling somebody. The hospital, he assumed. Then Lee was back and Eddy had come to terms with just exactly where the pole had pierced. It had pierced his right lung and his left lung was trying to compensate the breaths. Eddy realised what was going to happen. The ambulances wouldn't make it in time. He already felt the salty tears in his pained eyes as he reached out to Lee, grabbing the boy tightly.

"E-Eddy? Sir? What do I do? I… I… I don't know…"

"Fel… Felicity…" Eddy managed to say, his left lung struggling to keep up. "Tell her… Tell her… she was the best thing for me…"

"You sh-shouldn't talk, I don't think, you need to just-"

"Tell her!" Eddy croaked, his grip tightened around Lee's wrist so hard that Lee winced in pain.

"I will…"

"…tell…" The pulsing in his head grew almost too strong. "…her…" Eddy wasn't even sure if those words could be heard. His vision was gone now, as if the ink had taken over, though Eddy knew that wasn't the case.

Strangely enough, a voice rang out in his head. It sounded like it was underwater but he could make it out to be that of Felicty.

 _…Smile… If every anything goes bad… if ever anything hurts you… smiling will make it all better… You've got a winning smile, Eddy, it's a smile that'll take you to the top of the world. I believe it'll make a difference, so you got to promise me, you'll keep smiling._

As Lee fell back in shock around the bloody scene, Eddy's lips twitched and in his last breath he managed the brightest smile he could manage; his teeth perfectly white and amazingly aligned as always. Then his bright eyes faded and his fingers grew limp and the last breath of Eddy Cool left his last smile.


	14. The List

**Chapter Twelve**

 **The List**

"Sabrina?" Ruby lightly knocked on Sabrina's bedroom door, concerned. "Sabrina… Please talk to me." There was no response, though that was exactly what Ruby had expected. "Don't shut yourself out. That never helps anyone." Still nothing.

About an hour earlier, Ruby and Sabrina had seen the news that Eddy Cool, the host at the Epsilon Concert Hall, had passed away in a dreadful accident. As soon as she had seen it, Sabrina had become completely withdrawn, writing something in that little notebook of hers and disappearing into her room without a single word to Ruby.

Ruby had hoped that an hour would be enough time for Sabrina to cool off but it seemed like that wasn't going to be the case. Why was that girl so difficult? Ruby knocked on the door again. "Sabrina! You _need_ to tell me what is going on." Silence. Ruby sighed, her mind connecting the dots together uncomfortably. "You know something, don't you? About what happened at the concert hall. I know I said I wouldn't ask but this is ridiculous."

With the only response being nothing at all, Ruby let out a deep sigh and sat cross-legged in front of the door. "I'm not going away," she called out. "I'll sit here and _I'll_ talk, if you're not going to." Ruby licked her lips. "Sabrina… You're not the only one who hides their past, you know that, right? We all have skeletons in our closets. With what happened at the hall, with Bridge, with Eddy… that notebook of yours… I'm getting worried. My mind can't get out of the pit that maybe… maybe you had something to do with it all. I don't know how that could be but… but there is a reason you dragged us out of the concert hall, right? You didn't even want to save anyone else, only me.

"Did you feel guilty? Did you set up that lighting rig to fall and then realised that I'd be in danger? Did you get someone else to do it? My mind's going crazy, Sabrina, thinking about all the possibilities. I'd like to think I _know_ you, but this last week has got me second-guessing myself… but I care too much about you to let it go just like that." Ruby slowly stood up, feeling a pit in her stomach. "I know your door doesn't have a lock, Sabrina, so I'll give you ten seconds. Either you open that door or I'll come in. Things are getting too worrying to just ignore it."

Ruby went silent and counted in her head. There was no movement within Sabrina's room, even when Ruby finished the count of ten. She shook her head sadly and turned the handle, opening the door and stepping into Sabrina's room.

Sabrina was sat on the end of her bed, hands clasped together and looking toward the floor. Her notebook was cast aside on the sheets, flipped open on some page that was too small for Ruby to read. She glanced up as Ruby walked towards her but said nothing.

"I need you to explain it to me," Ruby pleaded, hating the fact that she had to question her best friend. "I need you to tell me what is going on."

Sabrina only looked at Ruby with an almost pitying look. Finally she unclasped her hands and put her palms towards Ruby, the faint burn scars white against her skin. Ruby had asked about them before but Sabrina had explained it away as grabbing a hot tray from the oven. "These hands…" Sabrina said, her voice quiet. "…And this." She stretched out her right leg and rolled up her trouser leg, revealing the thick scar that Sabrina had explained as a bike crash. "I got these three years ago in Cornwall."

"Cornwall?" Ruby was confused. "But you said-"

"I know what I said. It was on my eighteenth birthday at an inn. The Ferret Inn. I was there with my parents." Sabrina was looking away from Ruby now, as if she was afraid to look into her eyes. "We were having a meal. I had a great time only… part-way through, I had a daydream, so to speak. I saw the lorry crash… the inn catch fire and I saw the fire eat away at the stone. I saw the fire take the people inside, including my parents, including myself…"

Ruby didn't say a word, listening intently, wanting to know the whole story before she made any judgements.

"But that was all it was. A daydream. At least, so I thought. I felt sick after seeing what had happened and I decided to get some air, not even telling my parents what I had saw. Outside the… the accident that I had saw actually happened. I saved myself because of that vision but I didn't save anyone else. I went inside after it happened and found my dad… and my mum. Saw their corpses. Saw just what my inactivity had done. That was how I got these scars. I wasn't right, after that, not for a long time. I stayed with my-my grandparents for a time, but after a few weeks I ran away, with nothing but a rucksack to my name.

"I just walked... All day and all night. My leg barely held me up but something kept me going, something made me ignore the pain. I stayed in fields, under trees, in abandoned sheds, in train tunnels, anyway that had cover. I stole from corner shops for my food and charity shops for clothes. I was a scavenger and all those months I felt freedom. I was happy, Ruby." Sabrina took a breath and grew quiet, licking her lips.

"I… had always guessed that you were homeless when I found you but… Christ…" Ruby rubbed her temples, feeling the beginnings of a headache blossoming. "…You saw the fire at the Ferret Inn happen…"

"You think I'm lying," Sabrina said matter-of-factly but Ruby shook her head.

"Not at all. I believe you. I don't understand it but I believe that you saw it. I mean… that's why you wanted to get me out of Epsilon, right? You… You _saw_ it beforehand?" Ruby suddenly realised something. "That's why you were acting weird in the bathroom… that's why you knew what was going to happen before it did…"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Ruby."

"Don't worry about it, you're telling me now." Ruby's eyes narrowed. "But Sabrina… Why only me? Why didn't you want to warn everyone? I don't want to make you feel guilty but… but you may have been able to save more people."

"That's the thing, Ruby… That's what this is." Sabrina passed the notebook to Ruby. Ruby looked at the page that was open. It was a list, that was for certain. The first words were ' _Eagle Jacket Girl?_ ' with a large 'X' next to it. After that was ' _Bridge - Skipped_ ' then _'Host at Epsilon_ '. These three words had been scribbled out, to be replaced with _'Eddy Cool - Dead_ '. The next six points all had simple description like the first one, save for the last two names on the list. _'Ruby'_ and ' _Myself_ ;.

"What… is this list?"

Sabrina laughed bitterly. "Turns out I did save people, in the end. All of these people I saw die in that vision I had. But after we escaped I saw each of them, alive and well. That's why I was watching the news so intently. I wanted to see video coverage to see if I caught anyone I saw in the vision die."

"Surely…" Ruby felt that headache pounding. "Surely many people d-died in that vision? How could you single anyone out, or remember anything about them?"

"That's the thing with these visions. They… focus on certain people. I don't know why or what it means. When I looked back on the vision I had before – the first one – I remember it focusing in on certain people as well, including my parents."

"Okay… Okay, so you got a list. What does it mean?"

"It means, as far as I understand it, that the people on this list are going on die, in the order that they died in the vision. During my time without a home, I had used community libraries to look up visions, to see if I was alone in having it or not. Turns out that apparently it happens relatively commonly. I don't know if any were true – some sounded too far-fetched, some sounded too simple – but more than a few mentioned a list. And every single time, the people on that list were killed off, as if the Reaper himself wants the souls back.

"I never knew this was the truth until I saw Bridge was injured. He must have been saved by somebody. It could have just been a coincidence but then Eddy died. For all I know that eagle-jacketed girl is dead as well. That's too much to just be coincidence. So this list is real. The people on here… you and me included, will be hunted by Death itself."

Ruby finally had to sit down, plopping down next to Sabrina. "Wow… This was not what I expected to hear today. Death… lists… Jesus, Sabrina…"

"I understand if you don't want to believe—"

"Sabrina," Ruby interrupted, looking directly at Sabrina. "I told you, I believe you. It's too crazy to just make up on the spot like this. I understand why you didn't want to talk about it." Ruby breathed out a heavy breath and finally stood up. "Right then. We need to get going. It sounds like we don't have much time to lose."

"Excuse me?" Sabrina furrowed her eyebrows, confused.

"Well, you said that Bridge was saved by someone. That means that we can avoid the fate that it holds for us. That means that we need to find this ' _Blonde-Haired girl with blue highlights._ ' We need to watch her and save her."

"Save her…" Sabrina stood up as well, shaking her head. "No way, Ruby."

"What? We have a responsibility, Sabrina—"

"You sound just like Eugene Hawk," Sabrina spat the name out.

"The first time you didn't know what was happening, so no-one can blame you for not acting on your vision. This time you suspected, but still didn't know, so we can avoid that one too. But now we _know_ that something is going down. We know Bridge nearly died. We know that the host _did_ die. We have a duty to go out there and save this person."

"We can't put ourselves at risk."

"It's not about us, Sabrina! It's about saving a life that we know is going to be taken. We can't just sit down and do nothing! Human life is far too precious to just watch it slip away."

"I'm not going to put you in danger-"

"You don't get to decide that!" Ruby said with a angry tone that surprised both herself and Sabrina. In the two years Sabrina had known Ruby, she had always been a happy-go-lucky optimist. She had never once seen her get annoyed or angry. Ruby took a deep breath. "...I'm sorry, but I'm not going to change my mind. And I need you. You know what this girl looks like."

"Ruby…"

"Let me try, Sabrina. Please. I will not be comfortable sitting back and whistling. Besides…" Ruby managed a smile, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Surely if we are at the end of the list, then we're not in danger? We have a free pass until our turn, right?"

"I don't know if it works like that! I don't know how it works at all!" Sabrina was getting angry herself now. "All I know is conjecture and hearsay. Reports on websites that could be fake."

"It sounded like Eugene Hawk knew about it. We could talk to—"

"That's not happening! That man is absolute scum! We are not going to him or the DSI!" Sabrina hissed. "Ruby… I'll help you find this girl, just once, if I have to… but I am not talking to Hawk or Kelly. I am not going anywhere near them."

"Then where do we start?" Ruby asked, glad that Sabrina agreed to help but worried about where to begin. After all, London was huge and they no leads to start on.


	15. Beyond Feelings

**Chapter Thirteen**

 **Beyond Feelings**

 _"…You'll be my perfect little boy, won't you? Will you do that for Mummy?"_

 _"Yes!"_

 _"All you need to do is sit here and take this."_

 _"It's heavy…"_

 _"It only feels heavy now. This violin will become part of your body, an extension of your own arm."_

 _"I'm not sure I like this-"_

 _"You'll do as Mummy says! Won't you, Gerald? You wouldn't want to disappoint your father, would you?"_

 _"No, ma'am."_

 _"Good… now, watch me and imitate."_

* * *

 _"Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! You don't use your little finger on that key, you use your index finger! You cannot just bang the piano like they are drums. A piano is elegant, it requires finesse. You have finesse, do you not?"_

 _"I do, sir."_

 _"Good. Now, again! You wouldn't want to disappoint your mother, would you?"_

 _"No, sir."_

* * *

 _"Excuse me? You're going to leave?"_

 _"I've mastered your violin and your piano. I can't learn anything more from you two."_

 _"How dare you! You will apologise to your mother and I right this instant."_

 _"No. Got nothing to thank you for."_

 _"What'll a snotty kid barely fifteen do outside of this house? What do you expect to do? Where do you expect to stay?"_

 _"I'll figure it out. See ya later."_

* * *

The first thing Bridge saw when his vision came back to him was the white ceiling of some kind of sterile room. He stayed staring at the ceiling, letting the dreams fade away into the recesses of his mind. Allowing himself to forget the uncomfortable memories, Bridge tried to remember just why he was in this strange room.

He remembered being in Emerald Dusk, practising. He remembered, god forbid, making mistakes… no, that wasn't right. He _didn't_ make mistakes. Bridge closed out the room, looking into the darkness of his mind, wondering why he could remember red and green sparks. The more he thought, the more his head started to throb.

"You're awake!"

That voice… It couldn't be… It better not be… The darkness dissipated for good this time as hef found himself face to face with none other than Lily Talbot, grinning broadly. "Oh Christ…" Bridge groaned. "I just can't be rid of you."

"Is that the way to thank the person who saved your life?"

"Saved my life?" Bridge raised an eyebrow. "Sure." He sat up quickly, forcing Lily to hop backwards to avoid cracking her head into Bridge's own forehead. The musician looked around the hospital room with a frown. What was he doing here? His eye landed on a glass of water on his bedside table. His mouth _did_ feel dry. Bridge reached for the glass but his hand knocked into it, sending the glass bouncing across the floor, sending water everywhere. "Hm."

That's when Bridge noticed it. He slowly brought his hand towards his face, moving it left to right. He glanced to the left, seeing Lily watching patiently out of the corner of his eye. He glanced right and saw nothing at all. "What is this?" Bridge reached towards his face and stroked the bandages wrapped around the right side. "What is this!?"

"You were injured," Lily said, sitting cross-legged on the end of Bridge's bed.

"How?"

"You tripped over your microphone cord."

"I don't trip. How?"

"As I said-"

"I don't trip!" Bridge growled, throwing the covers off of himself, forcing Lily to hop back off the bed. He stood up straight. "I _don't_ make mistakes." As Bridge stretched his aching limbs, the door opened and a nurse walked in, stopping in surprise at the sight of Bridge standing. However, she didn't have much time to consider it before Bridge yelled, "Out!"

As the nurse scrambled out in shock, Bridge took one long step to Lily and grabbed her collar, bunching it up around his fist and lifting the surprisingly light girl up into the air. Lily didn't even protest, the smile staying on her face. "What happened?!"

"You tripped on the cord. Almost stabbed yourself on the pyrotechnic tube. Close call but you stopped yourself. However, the plug of the microphone cord came out and hit the pyrotechnics controls. You got a face full of pyrotechnic sparks. I managed to push you out of the way before you got an even worse – or perhaps a deadly – injury."

"Yes… I remember. I saw you." Bridge's upper lip curled up in a snarl but he let go of Lily's collar, allowing her to drop to the floor. "This is because of that girl, the one you overheard in that bathroom. Why would she talk about something like that, seeing the stage collapse? That's just unnatural."

"Sabrina Holland."

"Excuse me?" Bridge looked to Lily.

"Her name is Sabrina Holland. She lives with Ruby Ascot. I got an address." At Bridge's bemused look, Lily shrugged. "Hey, I know you better than you think. You want answers so I found her details while they were treating your face – which, by the way, I'd suggest you leave the bandages on."

"Take me to them," Bridge said, already making his way to the door despite the fact he was wearing only his black leather trousers, leaving his chest bare. However his trench-coat was hung on the door and Bridge grabbed it, pulling it on. "Now!"

* * *

Trenton pushed open the door of The Writing Room, frowning as the chime echoed around the downstairs room. It was surprisingly empty, save for a concerned Kate leaning on the counter. Trenton walked towards her, crossing his arms. "Hello, Kate."

"Hi…" Kate smiled softly as she answered the unspoken question. "She's out back."

"I see," Trenton breathed out a long sigh. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"Sure." Kate glanced around the café, double-checking for any sign of customers. "She was serving tables like normal, chatting with the customers, smiling, seeming like the normal Meg. I don't know exactly what was said but she started arguing with a customer. Their voices grew loud enough to disturb the other customers. Before we could drag her away, she had suddenly attacked the guy, slapping the taste out of his mouth. Ryan had to hold him back and things got heated. She left out the back door and has just been sitting there. We were told to leave her alone for now."

"Shit…" Trenton let slip the curse word, not thinking about how he spoke. He had a bad habit of swearing that more than often he kept hidden within himself when in public. "What happened with the customer?"

"He stormed out, claiming that Meagan was going to pay for slapping him. I don't know if anything will come of it." Kate shrugged.

"Well, thanks for calling me."

"She'll listen to you." Kate frowned. "Trenton… I know you guys have probably talked about it before, but I'm worried what happened at that concert you went to has affected her badly. I mean, I hear about survivor's guilt all over the internet… You might want to be delicate."

"Thanks, Kate. I'll handle it. I'm sorry for all the trouble she's caused this place."

"It's okay. It's a good thing she's otherwise been a good worker, otherwise she may have been thrown out on the spot. The manager isn't happy, though."

Trenton nodded. "Am I good to go through?"

"Sure, sure. Good luck."

"Thanks." Trenton headed through the kitchen area and out of the door. He immediately saw Meagan sat on a small set of steps that led up the small incline in the alley. She was staring directly ahead, not focusing on anything but her thoughts. As Trenton walked over, she glanced up but didn't say a word. Trenton also remained quiet as he sat down next to her, looking the direction she was looking. After a number of long seconds, he finally spoke, "What are you seeing?"

Meagan blinked slowly, a draft running through the alley between the buildings, ruffling her hair and making the blue underneath her brown flash back and forth. She answered when the wind died down, "I'm looking at the concert hall."

"Why are you looking there?" Trenton asked, not in a mean way but just out of interest. He had only seen Meagan like this only once before, deep in her thoughts. It was best just to flow with her during times like these.

"I'm trying to figure out just what it is I saw."

"And what did you see?"

"I saw the flames. I saw the building crumble. I saw myself trampled by the crowd. I saw you protecting me." Meagan leaned further forward, her green eyes wide. "I saw it happen, Trent."

Trenton took in her words slowly. "You… _saw_ … it happen? We left the building before that fire started, though."

"I know we did… I… It wasn't just one of my feelings this time, Trent. I didn't feel like something was going to happen. If I did, I think I may have stayed in the hall, so that we could watch Bridge. I wouldn't have risked missing out on a once in a blue moon event. But _seeing_ it happen. Having that… vision. That was why I insisted on getting out of there."

Trenton exhaled, not doubting her for even a second. "And why did you attack that customer today?"

"I saw something else… while serving him."

"And what was that?"

"This time it was only a series of images. I saw The Writing Room's logo. I saw my name-badge with blood dotted over it." At this, Meagan pulled her name-badge from her shirt and moved it around in her hands. "I saw your motorbike and… and I saw my helmet, cracked."

This time Trenton didn't say a word. This was unusual, even for Meagan. He knew she was serious, but he couldn't help wondering if she was having some kind of panic attack or effects from shock after the accident.

"I don't know what to think," Meg said, her voice catching. She finally turned to Trenton and he was surprised to see tears running down her cheeks. This was very concerning. Meagan hardly ever cried. Hell, Trenton had cried more than she had. "Trent… I don't know what's happening... I don't know what these visions mean. I always knew about my feelings, but this… this is too much."

"Look, you can't work like this. Let me take you home, okay? We can talk about it more there. See what's going on."

"Go home?" Meagan laughed bitterly. "On the motorbike? I don't know what these visions mean, but I know for sure that going on the bike is a bad omen."

"Okay…" Trenton put up his hands. "That's okay. I'll go on the bike and you can take a bus, right? You can't just stay in this alley. We need to get home and think about things."

Meagan chewed her lip before finally nodding. "Okay, that sounds reas—" Meagan suddenly paused as a loud beeping could be heard, sounding like a lorry as it blared through the air. A second later a loud crash could be heard – the shattering of glass and the crunching of metal. "What was that?!"

"…It came out front…" Trenton frowned. "Let's go and check—"

"Trent… Let's not." Meagan shook her head.

"Meg-"

"Trenton, please!"

Trenton paused at this. Meagan never called him by his full name. Was she having another of her feelings, or even another of these visions or whatever they were? However, the words he was about to say were interrupted by the fire escape door flying open and Kate standing in the doorway, looking straight at Trenton.

"Your bike – A lorry just ran straight into it!"

"What?" Trent turned to Kate in surprise. "My… Shit!" Trenton stood up and without a second thought followed Kate back into the kitchen. Meagan watched him go, filled with a foreboding feeling that threatened to choke her. Despite this, she forced herself to stand and follow her best friend, hoping against hope that nothing bad was going to happen, that these visions meant nothing, that everything would be just fine.


	16. Corruption

**Chapter Fourteen**

 **Corruption**

The large lorry had managed to jam itself within Chiltern Street, its back-end stuck diagonally from right to left while the front had hit both the side of the balcony of The Writing Room as well as Trenton's 2014 Triumph. The front of the lorry was dented and the window was cracked where it had slammed into the balcony. Dust and detritus occasionally fell down from the stone, sending concrete powder down below.

The motorcycle looked like it had taken the full brunt of the force. It lay on its side, the front wheel mangled and bent. One handlebar had torn right from its metal holding, laying halfway across the road. Trenton's helmet had skidded along the floor, ending up next to the lorry's double-tired wheels. Meagan's helmet that Trenton had brought was lying near the entrance of The Writing Room, a large crack spider-webbing up the visor.

While Trenton looked at his motorcycle, aghast, Meagan's attention was on the motor-cycle helmet. There could be no doubt about it. The same crack, the same angle, the same road underneath. It was just like she had seen in that brief vision of hers.

The driver of the lorry was currently on the phone, walking back and forth, seemingly arguing with somebody. Trenton knelt down next to his bike, touching the chassis with a finger. He couldn't believe that this had happened. It had taken so long to save up to buy the Triumph, and when he finally owned it, he had taken it on a trip around the country with Meagan during the summer holidays. That had been one of the best weeks of Trenton's life, just taking the bike out, camping, and enjoying the surprisingly good weather.

Seeing it like this, a twisted wreck of its former self hurt more than he could have ever expected. Even worse, the engine was still idle, sputtering as if on its death bed. Trenton sighed and stood up, looking to Meagan. "Well… I guess we'll both be taking the bus today, then."

"Don't joke about this. Not now." Meagan shook her head, unable to take her gaze from the helmet. She looked to her name-badge pinned to her shirt and felt a dread feeling in her heart.

"What am I going to tell the manager?" Kate bemoaned from behind Meagan, shaking her head. She had closed The Writing Room, seeing as the lorry had smashed into the balcony. "I'm sorry about your bike, Trent."

"It's okay. It's just a thing, after all. Your shop is more serious," Trenton shook his head. "I suppose I'll have to save up for another one. At least I'll be able to get some insurance out of this."

"What was that asshole thinking?" Kate gestured angrily at the lorry driver, who was getting more and more visibly angry. "Coming down this street in a lorry that size. Ridiculous." Another crumble of dust rained down from above them, resting in Kate's hair. "Goddamnit… Hey, asshole!" Kate had obviously had enough. She was always hot-headed and now was walking over to confront the driver.

"I guess we're going to have to wait for the police," Trenton said, shrugging. "They are going to want to know whose bike it was that the driver hit."

"I don't want to wait," Meagan shivered. "I think we ought to—"

Whatever Meagan was going to say was interrupted by a loud SNAP following by crumbling. Meagan had barely any time to comprehend what had just happened before Trenton was shoving his hands hard into her shoulders. She fell onto her rear as the balcony crumbled, sending stone smashing against the pavement. "Trent!"

The moment Trenton had pushed Meagan away he had taken a large step back in order to avoid the crumbling balcony, not looking where he was putting his foot. His boot lodged itself in the back wheel of his bike. He looked down just as the railing of the balcony slammed down onto the handle-bars of the bike, jamming itself against the accelerator.

With a _whir_ the back wheel of the motorcycle spun, slamming itself hard against Trenton's ankle. There was a loud crack and Trenton cried out in pain, the force of the wheel sending him head-first into the front of the broken fender of the lorry, where the metal jutted out. Trenton's head slammed with a sick thud against the jutted metal, his eyes widening in shock.

With electric pulses flying through his brain, Trenton didn't think as he pulled himself away from the fender, trying to get away from the pain. The metal shard slid out easily but blood gurgled out of the wound just behind his ear. Trenton clutched the wound in shock, staring at Meagan as blood sloshed through his fingers, staining them crimson. "M-M-Meg…" Trenton blinked rapidly, unable to even notice that his ankle was twisted in completely the wrong direction.

"No, no… no, no, no, no…" Meagan ran over the wreckage of the fallen balcony, dropping to her knees next to Trenton. She put her own hands over his but the blood continued to flow. Trenton's face was pale as his hands grew limp, staying up only because Meagan had her hands over his. Even as the blood stopped flowing and his face had grown white, Meagan was pushing her hands on the wound. "Trent! Please, please open your eyes! Please!" Tears ran unhindered down her cheeks as she placed her forehead against Trenton's. "Don't leave me alone! Please…"

Meagan didn't notice both Kate and the lorry driver, staring in horror at the bloody scene. She didn't notice some pedestrians stopping on the path, pointing at her, one of them on the phone. She didn't notice anything but Trenton, cold in her arms.

Meagan continued to clutch Trenton's body even as the police arrived, and not soon after the ambulance. She had to be forcibly pulled from him but at that point she was limp, her mind gone blank. Meagan was placed on the back of an ambulance where she sat as the first responder asked her questions. She could feel her mouth move but didn't know what she was saying.

Eventually a white sheet was placed over Trenton's still form, his time of death being announced for all to hear. The street was cordoned off as the lorry driver was pulled aside by the police. Meagan could only stare at the white sheet before the responder with a sad look guided her back into The Writing Room so she wouldn't look at him anymore. Meagan just obeyed like a child, sitting in one of the booths, feeling blank.

Trent was… gone? How could he be gone? She had been talking to him only a few minutes before. Can a life be snuffed out, just like that? With these thoughts, Meagan suddenly felt an anger rising within her, something she had never felt before. Why!? Why did it have to be him!? He had pushed her away… it should have been her. She should be the one lying under that white sheet, not him! Trent didn't deserve this fate!

"Meagan…" Meagan glanced up as Kate walked hesitantly in the room. She didn't say a word as Kate slowly slid into the booth. She was pale and her eyes were red, but what right did she have to cry over Trenton's death? "I… I don't… I don't know what to say but… but if you need a shoulder…"

"Go away…"

"Please… I think the best thing for you would be to be with someone, anyone."

"You don't know the best thing for me," Meagan didn't want to be this angry but couldn't control herself. "You don't know anything," Kate didn't deserve any of this attitude, but Meagan needed to vent. She felt the vileness in the back of her throat. "You've always been content to watch! Always content to gossip! Always had your eye on Trent! You're nothing but a stain on this place! I don't need your words!"

Fresh tears sprung to Kate's eyes at Meagan's harsh words. "I was told—"

" _Fuck_ off!" Meagan sneered, slamming the palms of her hands onto the table. Kate jumped and immediately scuttled off back outside the shop. Meagan breathed slow, looking at her red palms. She hadn't realised until now but her nose was bleeding. It must have been from when Trent saved her. Small droplets of blood had splashed against her name badge – as if laughing at her that she could have done something. That the visions she had were clues. How was she to know that? How was she to know that she was seeing glimpses of the future?!

"Well, well, well… That was a little bit harsh, was it not?"

Meagan's head snapped up to the unfamiliar male voice. A man stood in the doorway, wearing a trilby hat and a distrustful grin. Leering behind him was a bigger man. "Who are you!?"

"We're friends… Well, we hope to be." The man walked in and sat in front of Meagan in the same booth. "I'm Eugene Hawk. This is Harold Kelly. We're investigators."

"I don't want to talk to you."

"Tough." Eugene said with a shrug. He leaned forward, looking at Meagan. "Because I want to talk to you. Your friend, Trenton, that wasn't an accident."

"What do you mean?" Meagan looked at Eugene's eyes, which shone with some kind of cunning.

"He was murdered, to get straight to the point." Eugene leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.

"Murdered?!"

"And not by the lorry driver."

"What are you getting at?" Meagan was losing patience. Who was this cocky asshole trying to play with her feelings.

"I'm getting at that you're not the only one who had visions. Not the only one who saw the Epsilon fire. Not the only one who got clues to your own death, even if Trenton managed to save you, thus skipping you."

"…Skipping… What do you mean?" Meagan demanded.

"Tell me. Does the name Sabrina Holland mean anything to you?"

"Nothing."

"Well, that's the name of Trenton's murderer. Do you know why she is his murderer? Because she's done this all before, minus the saving of others. She's had a vision before. She knows the drill and she did nothing!"

"…She's… had visions?"

"Yes. And she could have come here and told you guys. She could have saved Trenton. But she didn't. Doesn't that sound wrong to you? Doesn't that sound selfish?"

Meagan clutched her hair with her hands, staring at the table. "…She knew? She could have saved him?"

"Yes." Eugene smiled with glee at Meagan's reaction. "And she didn't."

"Sabrina Holland…" Meagan tasted the name on her lips. "…killed Trent… killed him."

"That's right. And I want you to help us."

Meagan looked back up to him. "How?"

"I want you to find Sabrina Holland. I want you to confront her and I want you to get answers. I want you to see if you can get a confession to what happened at the Ferret Inn."

"The… Ferret Inn?" Meagan narrowed her eyes. "What do I get out of helping you?"

"You get vengeance for what Sabrina did to Trenton. For what she did to Eddy Cool. You heard about him on the news, yes? And Bridge's accident – that was her fault as well. Three times and she's out. Three times she had the chance to save people, and she chose not to."

Meagan chewed her bottom lip, her mind racing. If Eugene was right… if this Sabrina knew about the visions and if she didn't act on it then that was unforgivable. Her fists clenched on the wooden table and she looked up at Eugene. "I'll help you. But on one condition."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"I get to... kill her myself…" Meagan said, testing the phrase. After saying it, it confirmed what her mind was getting at. A small part of her brain told her to stay away from this mind-set but it was quickly quelled. Trenton was dead because of Sabrina Holland. He didn't exist anymore. Sure, his body was still there but his soul... the thing that made Trenton the best person you could ever hope to know was gone. Meagan wouldn't be able to laugh at his jokes or confide in him or... or anything... Meagan looked up at Eugene Hawk and stared at him straight in the eyes, repeating the words with more conviction: "I want to kill her."

Eugene grinned, full of polished white teeth. "Perfect. But only once you get the confession. After that, Sabrina'll be free pickings for you. Now, let's get into details..."


	17. Hiding The Facts

**Chapter Fifteen**

 **Hiding The Facts**

"It's getting dark…" Ruby looked up at the sky in disappointment. "And still no clue on where to find that girl."

Sabrina had her hands in her pockets as she stood next to Ruby. "We can't keep searching blindly like this."

"We need to find her," Ruby gritted her teeth in frustration. "We have to do something. If only we had some kind of lead, some kind of clue, but nothing!" Sabrina didn't say a word as Ruby vented, looking around the darkening street.

The two of them had gone to the police station in the hope of finding out who the girl was by Sabrina's description of her, but there was no luck as the police just laughed at them. Ruby next insisted that they go about the shops near the Epsilon Concert Hall, in the hope that they lived close by and stopped in on one of the shops. There was still no luck, though. They had walked around nearly all of Holborn. Ruby was determined to find some kind of track of the girl and Sabrina could only follow her quietly.

"Let's go home, Ruby," Sabrina said finally, putting her hand on Ruby's shoulder.

Ruby bit her lower lip reluctantly. "We can't just let something happen… not if we know about it. With Bridge's accident, with Eddy's death… we can't risk it." Sabrina watched Ruby's determined expression carefully. "But you're right… we can't search like this when its dark. We'll have to pick up tomorrow morning."

"Why are you so determined?" Sabrina asked, unable to resist the question.

Ruby looked at her in surprise. " _Why_? Because we know that something is going to happen to someone. Surely it's human nature to try and save them? We can't just sit back and let it all play out in front of us until our turn comes up. That's just selfish."

"Yes…" Sabrina nodded slowly. "I suppose it would be. Tomorrow morning, then."

* * *

Sabrina was first to reach the doorway of their home when she paused, her hand hovering over the door handle. Ruby stopped behind her and cocked her head, confused.

"What's wrong?"

"…It's unlocked," Sabrina said in a whisper, her voice barely audible in the evening air. She backed away from the doorway and carefully walked around the side of the flat, glancing at each window in turn. The insides of the flat were completely dark but Sabrina stopped at one of the windows. She reached up and pushed with her finger. It didn't resist as it opened.

"The window as well? Did someone break in?" Ruby asked fearfully.

Sabrina frowned and moved behind the flat where a small garden rested with a shed in the corner. Neither of them really cared for the garden, but it had come when Ruby originally bought the flat. Inside the shed were a couple of rusted, unused tools. At least, that's what Ruby thought. Sabrina crouched down next to the shed and lifted up one of the white rocks that had been put their decoratively.

"…A key?" Ruby asked. Sabrina didn't respond as she stood and slid the key into the shed's padlock, which Ruby only just now realised was there. She really never paid any attention to the old wooden shed. Sabrina soon opened the door and stepped inside the dark room.

Inside it didn't look any different than Ruby remembered from when she first moved in. The tools stood against the wall, while a couple shelves stood on the other side. Sabrina leaned down under the shelf and pulled out a slim metal box. She flipped open the latches and stared down at a long slender knife within. The knife was simple, with a curved edge and a glinting point. The handle was bound in simple black leather.

"What…? Why do you have something like this hidden away?"

"For times like these. I will not let Eugene break into your home. I will not let him screw with your life." Sabrina took the knife in hand and quickly snuck back to the front door of the flat. Watching her move, Ruby realised that it looked far too natural to her. Just what had Sabrina done before they had met?

Standing outside the front door, Sabrina looked at the knife and closed her eyes briefly. She muttered a word which Ruby barely heard from her spot behind Sabrina. "…Jake…" A name? Ruby didn't have time to contemplate it before Sabrina pushed through the door, knife in hand. She moved through the dark corridor with expert precision however before she could make it into the living room, the lights suddenly switched on, making her squint.

A force hit her hand hard, making her to drop the knife. Sabrina cursed and struck her hand out wildly from the direction of the force. Blinking away the light, she saw a girl hop back just in time. No… not just any girl. It was the girl from the bathroom back at the Epsilon Concert Hall. What could she be doing here?

"Bridge!?" Ruby exclaimed. Sabrina turned away from the girl, clutching her aching hand, to see the long slender musician sitting on the sofa, legs stretched out in front of him. The right side of his face was wrapped in bandages but the eye they could see stared daggers into Sabrina.

"...That knife looks a little bit dangerous, doesn't it?" Lily Talbot grinned, reaching down and picking up the knife.

"Give that back," Sabrina demanded, stepping threateningly towards her. Lily just hopped backwards again, rolling the knife around her hands. "You little—"

"Sabrina Holland," Bridge said, his voice causing Sabrina to turn towards him. "Just what is it you are hiding?"

"Excuse me?" Sabrina replied, affronted.

"You are hiding something. I can see it in your eyes."

"I'm not hiding a thing."

"That's a lie if I ever heard one," Lily chimed in. "I heard you guys talking about it, the fire at Epsilon. I overheard you saying that Bridge was going to die. And he would have, had I not been there."

"I need you to explain yourself. Right now," Bridge demanded, continuing to stare directly at Sabrina.

"Hey, hey… Ignoring the fact that you broke into our house… we've got nothing to hide." Ruby said, putting her hands out. To be honest, she was scared stiff and felt out of her depth. It seemed almost dreamlike, the enigma Bridge sitting on her sofa and that girl playing with a knife that Sabrina was hiding. Ruby could feel a headache pushing at her brow. "We'll explain what we know."

"Ruby…" Sabrina warned, looking at Ruby. She had no desire to explain to these two just what was going on.

"Sabrina, what have we got to hide?" Ruby took a breath and looked at Bridge. "Okay. Here's what I know… hopefully Sabrina will feel in the gaps for me." And with that, Ruby started talking.

* * *

"…I see." Bridge finally said after Ruby finished explaining what she knew, about the list and about the visions. He seemed to take the strange state of affairs in stride. "That would explain why this happened." He floated his hand over the bandages wrapped around his skull.

"Visions… Sounds like fun," Lily grinned, the knife still in her hands. "What are we going to do about it?"

"We can do nothing about it," Sabrina said, but Ruby looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"What Sabrina means is that we're trying to locate the next person on her list. A girl with a black t-shirt, red jeans, strange blue hair under her blonde hair. She looks unique so we've been asking around, seeing if anyone has seen her. We've had no luck, so far."

"No-one like that has been on the news," Bridge crossed his arms.

"I've been keeping tabs." Lily held up her phone. "The only big news story is some man dying on the street. Quite gruesome, so it seems."

Sabrina perked up a little bit at this. She looked at Lily. "Did it say whereabouts it happened?"

"Hm?" Lily looked at Sabrina strangely. "On Chiltern Street, right outside a café called The Writing Room."

"…I see…" Sabrina said, more to herself than anyone else. She pulled out her notebook again. "…He must've saved her. They looked like they were together in my vision."

Ruby looked over her shoulder and pointed to the third one on the list. Where previously it had been written ' _Blonde-haired girl with blue highlights',_ those words had been crossed out to be replaced with the simple name 'Meg.' "What's that, Sabrina?"

"It's nothing." Sabrina dismissed Ruby's question and looked again at Lily. "Did the man who died have a name?"

"You're asking a lot of questions. We should be the ones asking questions. But yes, Trenton Ferris was the name, I believe."

"…Trenton… Ferris…" Sabrina scribbled down the name in her notebook. "Okay…"

"Sabrina," Ruby insisted. "Why do you know the name of the girl? If we knew her name then that could have helped to find her. If... but it wasn't there before when I looked at it…" Ruby looked at Sabrina strangely. "…You put it in after… Why?" Something seemed to click in Ruby's mind. "Did… Did you… somehow… have another vision?"

Sabrina didn't say a word, only closed the notebook and slipped it back into her shirt.

"…You did…" Ruby blinked, disbelieving. Bridge seemed content to keep quiet and watch, while Lily looked like she needed some popcorn as she watched Ruby confront Sabrina. "You saw something, didn't you!? Why didn't you say something?"

"It wouldn't have helped. We would have been too slow."

"That's not for you to decide, Sabrina!" Ruby paced back and forth in frustration. "Every hour that passes I wonder just what else you're hiding from me. I've been patient with you, Sabrina, you're my friend but this… this could have been vital. We could have saved somebodies life!"

"We couldn't have." Sabrina shook her head.

"Why not!? If you had some kind of clue… I mean… you asked for the location, so you must have known it was called The Writing Room. With that, and Meg's name, we could have found it. There can't be many Writing Room's in London." Ruby took a breath before looking at Sabrina sadly. "It's starting to sound more and more like Eugene Hawk was correct to be suspicious."

"Don't say that!" Sabrina exclaimed, clearly insulted.

"What do you want me to say? You hid that vision from me. I can't help but think what else you could be hiding."

"I didn't tell you because I knew you would go there. I couldn't put you in that kind of danger, that's the whole damn point!" Sabrina's voice rose in volume as she responded. "For Christ's sake, Ruby, we can't stop this! That's the whole goddamn point of the list! We can't just save people and that's that! It's only going to repeat itself, again and again and again until all the people on the damn list are dead! I can only hope that I can save you. There's no way I can save five other people! It's too dangerous and I cannot put myself or you in that kind of danger."

"So you are a coward," Lily suddenly interjected.

Sabrina whipped her head towards her. "Shut your mouth."

"Make me," Lily stood up close to Sabrina. Even though she was shorter, she certainly showed presence. "You're nothing but a coward who chose not to do the right thing."

"You don't know me. You have no right to judge my actions."

"I know enough just from this conversation."

"You need to keep quiet," Sabrina said dangerously.

"…Or what? Huh?" Lily asked, equally as dangerous. "I wonder just what you are willing to do to survive. I wonder if there's any other reason why you were the only survivor from your first vision? I wonder if you sacrificed your parents and the others in that restaurant in order to survive? I wonder how you, if this list repeats again and again, managed to survive since then? Surely Death would be going after you, huh? So what else are you hiding? You're nothing but suspicious, Sabrina Holland."

"Enough, Lily." Bridge said, his voice interrupting the two of them. Lily immediately quietened down, but didn't back away from Sabrina. Bridge stood up, stretching to his full height. "I don't care what your feelings on the matter are. I don't care if you want to save your own hide or not. I am involved now and you will tell us what we have to do to stop this."

"There isn't a way to stop this," Sabrina said miserably. Bridge took a step forward and jammed his long finger on her chest.

"Then how are you still alive? Lily was correct. By your rules, the reaper should have hunted you down. So you know the secret to all of this. And like it or not, you will tell us."

"Please stop this arguing," Ruby interrupted, worried that violence was going to erupt. "Before we figure that step out, I think it would be best to gather the other survivors, yes? The other three deserve to know what is going on. Then… Then we can decide what to do then. I don't think it's right to give up hope and write them all off. I don't think that's right at all."


	18. Interlude - The Boy at the Beach

**Interlude**

 **The Boy at the Beach**

The beach was warm under Sabrina's bare feet. She wriggled her toes, letting the sand sift back and forth. A sea breeze ran down the beach, throwing her hair in disarray. She could taste the salt on the tip of her tongue and could hear the squawking of the seagulls. All in all, it was peaceful. For the first time since the fire at the Ferret Inn, Sabrina felt calm.

The waters rolled over each other in the ocean, pushing against itself before bursting into white foam. The wind whistled as it slid against the rocky walls of the cliffs that extended above Sabrina, hiding her from the rest of civilisation.

Sabrina was in a small cove, around about five miles from St. Ives. In fact, she could see the coastal town across the waters, standing guard over Carbis Bay.

After that intense questioning from Eugene Hawk, Sabrina had been let out of that building by their bosses, the kind woman named Lisa. She had offered to take Sabrina wherever she wanted to go but Sabrina had opted just to walk with nothing but the clothes on her back. It was approaching the end of that day now, the sun lowered down near the horizon.

She didn't have a clue where to go or what to do, but that was fully fine with her. If she had to, she would walk until she got her head around the situation. She couldn't face going back home, couldn't bear being reminded of her parents. Sabrina couldn't help but wonder if she'll eventually be reported missing, but who would report it? She had no friends, no other family that contacted her on a regular basis. She supposed that it would be when she didn't arrive for school at the end of the summer holidays, almost three weeks away. That made her smile for just a moment, the thought of being off of anybody's mind for three weeks.

Complete solitary.

"You better be careful!" A male voice caught Sabrina by surprise, causing her to jump up to her feet and spin around. She peered around the bottom of the cliff before landing eyes on a man standing at the base of the steep steps that led into her little cove. He was walking towards her, wearing overly flowery shorts and a shirt with the buttons undone, letting it blow in the wind. As he got closer, she could make out a thick jaw and bushy blonde hair that curled around his ears. He finally reached her and pointed towards the water. "The tide'll come in soon."

Sabrina looked to the water. Now that she looked at it, it did seem a little bit closer.

"What are you doing down here, anyway?" The man looked around. "Seems a little bit closed off."

"That's how I like it," Sabrina responded, uncomfortable with talking. She hadn't a proper conversation with anyone, not even that Lisa woman.

"I suppose to each their own." The man thrust his thumb to the top of the stairs. "I saw you up there and figured I ought to warn you. You seemed deep in thought, so you might not have expected the water."

"I would have seen it coming," Sabrina shrugged it off.

"You shouldn't underestimate the water. It won't wait for you to go. Besides, I doubt you can go quick with that leg. Not often I see a leg cast on the beach." The man glanced to her leg. Sabrina subconsciously drew it back. "Don't wanna talk about it? I understand. We all have uncomfortable scars." The man looked at the water again before offering his hand. "I'm Jake. Good to meet you."

Sabrina stared at his hand for a long, awkward moment. His hand was covered in rough callouses and his nails looks scratched and well-used. Perhaps he was some kind of worker? When his hand didn't lower, Sabrina finally consented to give the hand a quick shake. Jake understood that she didn't want to linger on the handshake and pulled away after the action.

After realising that Sabrina wasn't going to say her own name, Jake shrugged and faced the water. "I am serious about the water. Look, it's coming in now. Give it ten minutes and this cove'll be ankle deep. And that would be dangerous because vicious currents wrap around this cove. You know they call it the snare, right?"

"I don't know local stories."

"Don't live around these parts? I thought you looked like a city girl," Jake looked up and down Sabrina, his face seemingly analysing ever part of her. "And you look hungry."

"I do?" Sabrina was taken aback, but now that she thought about it she hadn't eaten since she woke up. She assumed she must have been force-fed when she was comatose. As if on cue, her belly let out a low rumble, causing Sabrina to flush in embarrassment.

"You're definitely hungry," Jake nodded before beckoning towards the stairs with his thumb again. "Well, since you're going to need to get out of this cove anyway, let me treat you to a meal. I can make a mean fish stew. Learnt it from my Gran who learnt it from her Mum who learnt it from her Uncle's wife.

"That's… That's not necessary." Sabrina wasn't accustomed to this kind of friendliness and her gut made her distrust this man.

"Don't be silly. Your stomach is speaking volumes."

"I… I suppose." Sabrina nodded reluctantly. As she looked at Jake, her mind suddenly flashed white. She let out a sharp inhale of pain as a series of images flashed across her mind, clear and concise. Sabrina saw water crawling up the beach, followed by a close-up of a crack in what could only be the nearby cliff-face. Finally she saw a large edge of the cliff crumble and send rocks tumbling down the stairs. "Ah…"

"Are you alright?" Jake was immediately concerned, looking at her now pale face. "What's wrong?"

"I-I…" Sabrina shook. Those series of images reminded her too much of the vision she had at the Ferret Inn. Could it… could it be? Some kind of prediction of the future, again? "I can't."

"What?"

"I can't go up those stairs."

Jake frowned, worried. The water was lapping at Sabrina's bare feet now, cold to the touch. "Is your leg hurting?"

"No, that's not it. I just… I just can't." Sabrina shook her head. "I can't go up there."

Jake seemed conflicted, looking at the stairs and then the encroaching tide. He turned to the end of the small beach, where the cliff darted out into the water. A number of low upturned rocks lay on the shore, curving around to reach a larger beach, Jake knew. "Okay… I won't argue with you. You seem adamant. How well can you move your leg?"

"Well enough," Sabrina said, not mentioning that her leg was starting to ache.

"Then we'll go that way," Jake pointed to the rocks. "It won't be much climbing and I'll be able to help you. We should be able to bypass the stairs and reach the other beach. That is, if you're still intent on not heading up those—" As Jake talked, he was interrupted by a loud _crack_ that echoed around the cove. His head whipped towards the stairs where a large chunk of the cliff-face seemed to slide right down. Rocks and stones tumbled down, bouncing off the stairs and splitting on each hit, powerful enough to knock a large section of a step off. "Christ… That was… That was close." Jake turned to her with a small smile. "I guess you were right to not want to go up those stairs. I guess we got no choice to climb now. We better get moving. I can feel the tug of the water already, and it's barely to my ankles."

Once again, Jake offered his hand and once again Sabrina was hesitant. What did he want this time? Another handshake? She carefully grabbed the hand and gasped as Jake swept her off her feet with powerful arms. He hoisted her up and over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, his arm holding her tightly on the lower back. "W-What are you doing!?"

"Sorry to be rough, but I'm not risking your leg on those rocks." Jake started moving as if Sabrina weighed nothing, trudging through the wet sand. He reached up and climbed up onto the first rock, shifting Sabrina's weight slightly.

"Put me down!" Sabrina did not like being man-handled like this, not one bit.

"Can't do, sorry. That leg is going to slow us down and the tide will be upon us. We left moving too late." Jake hopped over to another rock. He took it fast but kept his balance, holding his free arm out to keep himself upright.

"You can't just pick me up and—"

"I did and you can't complain. And please, stop digging your nails into my back, that hurts. I'll put you down when we're on the other side."

Sabrina wanted to respond but another white-hot pain pierced her mind. Another series of images flashed through her head; she saw a rounded rock with a large patch of seaweed shift as a man's bare foot hit it. She saw a leg coming out of the bottom of flowery shorts, twisted in the wrong direction. Finally she saw an all-too familiar shirt floating in the water. It was her shirt that she wore over her white t-shirt.

From her position hanging like a rag doll, she leaned to look past Jake's hip and spotted the seaweed-covered rock almost a step away. "Take the right rock, the right!" She cried out, hoping Jake would listen to her panicked cry.

Jake frowned as he adjusted his weight, stepping on the right rock at the last moment. He lost balance for a moment, teetering on one foot before he managed to get his other foot down. Sabrina breathed a sigh of relief before Jake hopped to another rock, standing almost four meters above the beach he was aiming for.

However it was on this rock that Jake's left foot slipped. He plunged forward in surprise. Sabrina saw the world spin and closed her eyes. She didn't have any control and could only hope Jake would regain himself.

Instead, Jake pulled Sabrina from his shoulder, once again as if she weighed nothing, and clutched her in his strong arms, putting her head to his chest and he manoeuvred himself so his back was facing the beach.

He landed hard, letting out a gasp of pain. A jolt ran through Sabrina's injured leg and she cursed out loud. Both of them just lay there, Sabrina atop of Jake. Sabrina finally found her words, "Are you okay?"

"...heh…" For some reason, Jake let out a small laugh. "…heheh… Oh boy…" He was laughing heartily now from his position back-first on the beach. "That was a close one, eh? We escaped the tide though, so we're good. Are you okay?"

"I'm just… fine." Sabrina grunted as she pushed herself up, using the cliff-face to help herself to her feet. Jake quickly hopped to his own feet, brushing sand off his shorts. Sabrina looked to him. "Thank you… You were right, if I had tried to get across there on this leg I don't think I would have made it."

"Don't be so dramatic. I would have just swum after you if you had fallen in somehow."

"Why?"

" _Why_?" Jake echoed. "I am not going to let a human being just get swept away by the waters. Not again. Surely it's natural human instinct, to want to save another human, especially a damn good-looking one." He shrugged. "Still up for that meal? I think adrenaline is making me even hungrier."

Sabrina found herself looking at Jake in a new light. She had only known him for barely ten minutes, but he had made a big impression on her. Strong, confident, friendly… Perhaps this was what she needed, after everything that happened. She took a deep breath and offered her hand, plunging into the risk. "Let's start again. I'm Sabrina Holland."

Jake grinned and grabbed the hand. "I'm Jake Conway. Nice to meet you, Sabrina. Let's get to know each other over a hot meal, yeah?"

Sabrina nodded carefully. "Okay… Let's do that."


	19. A Knock on the Door

**Chapter Sixteen**

 **A Knock on the Door**

The hotel room was dark even though it was in the middle of the afternoon. The curtains were drawn tightly, blocking out the light. There was a sort of humid atmosphere in the room that hugged tightly around the walls.

Jason sat on his bed, back rigid against the headboard. He looked terrible with his hair that stuck to his pallid skin. He hadn't taken off his clothes for several days and they were wrinkled and stained with sweat. Any time a staff member knocked on the door to check on him he dismissed them harshly.

His parents had been worried when they called him the day before, wondering why he had ignored their calls. Jason hadn't properly explained the situation, but his parents were used to his intense moods – they were at their most extreme the days after Maylene had killed herself. While they were worried, they knew that there wasn't much they could do so they had ended up putting money into his account and telling him to get better.

Not that had helped. In fact, it seemed to have made things worse. Jason knew that it was bad but he couldn't help himself. The conversations in the bathroom in the mornings had gotten worse and he had even gone as far as to yell at himself. Maylene would only watch him pitifully, as if she was ashamed at what he was doing, even though it was entirely her fault.

She was there now, standing at the end of his bed, her arms crossed over her chest, just staring at Jason. Jason could only stare back. She had shown herself more than she had ever done before, constantly following him around the hotel room. Jason felt like she was watching his every move – he felt constricted as if Maylene's hands were tightening around his neck.

"You can't keep doing this. It isn't healthy."

"…Shut up…" Jason put his hands to his ears, trying to block off her voice but when she spoke again it was just as loud as before.

"You haven't eaten a thing. You've barely drunk anything. You're wasting away."

"Good."

" _Not_ good." Maylene sighed and paced around the bed to Jason's side. Jason withdrew from her, scrambling off the bed and putting his back to the wall.

"Go away."

"You know I can't do that."

"Why not!?" Jason replied loudly, his breathing ragged. His sudden movement made him feel almost sick, a dizziness coming to his head. "Just get of here!"

"I'm not going anywhere. I would have thought you would have come to terms with that."

A pillow flew through the air, bouncing off the wall opposite Jason. His eyes grew wilder every passing second. "Go! Get out!" Maylene just looked at him with those large eyes of hers, pitying him as if he was doing this himself. As if it wasn't her fault. Jason could feel himself going further down into his hole of despair, clutching at his head. He hadn't gotten this bad since the days after Maylene's death. Why was it all coming back now?

It must have been Epsilon. What happened there had affected his mind more seriously that he had thought. He supposed being close to death tended to do that to someone. However even in those rough times after her death, Maylene had never shown up this often. Nor had she been this… passive. Back in those days after her death, Maylene had yelled and spat and cursed his rotten name. Jason almost wished to have that Maylene back.

The knock on the door caused Jason to react violently, stumbling to the wall and smacking his shoulder painfully into the wall. He stepped towards the door and put his mouth to the crack of the door. "I don't need anything today! Please leave!" Jason breathed, clutching his shoulder in pain. His voice was low and threatening.

"We're not staff," came a male voice in reply.

Jason was confused at this response. He replied back through the door crack. "Who are you, then? What business do you have with me?"

"We're investigators."

That word struck a chord with Jason, like a knife stabbing into his heart and twisting. "Get out of here! I don't want to talk to you!"

"That seems… a little bit aggressive," responded the voice, evidently surprised at Jason's vicious tone.

Jason didn't respond, his breathing growing rapid. Maylene stood by the door, wearing a frown. "…Stop looking at me…" He clutched his chest, his eyes moving back and forth between the door and Maylene. "Stop it… stop it… stop it stop it stop it!" Jason reached for the nearest thing and through it hard at Maylene. The cordless phone soared through the air and smashed against the wall, shattering into hundreds of tiny pieces.

"Are you okay?" The voice responded with a hint of concern. Jason paid them no mind, staring at Maylene.

"What do I need to do to be rid of you!? I've forgiven myself, I've blamed myself, I accused you, I've shut myself down… What do I need to do!?"

Another knock on the door that Jason ignored. "We're going to come in, if you don't mind."

"Everything I did, I did for you! I didn't kill you, I didn't!" Jason clutched at his head, his heart pounding in his chest, reverberating up his spine and pulsing in his skull. "You did it! You killed yourself! You killed yourself and blamed me! I didn't! You _bitch_!" The word spat out of Jason like venom. He grew silent after that word, his chest moving up and down. "…You… You made me like this…"

There was a crashing as the door was suddenly thrown open. Jason's head snapped towards the large figure stepping through the door. He could hear the investigators voices from that time:

" _Did you kill her, Mr. Ryan?"_

" _We heard that you were having problems in your relationship."_

" _Were you aware that she was sleeping with someone else?"_

If there was an edge Jason hadn't gone over, he fell head-first over it now. Without thinking about a thing, he charged at the large man who had just broke through the door. Despite his condition, Jason still had a lot of weight behind his charge. The man stumbled backwards in surprise, revealing a smaller man wearing a trelby in the doorway. Jason saw him and without thinking aimed his fist right at that cocky little smile of his.

His fist hit true and the man went down like a sack of potatoes. The bigger man glanced down with a furrowed brow. "Hawk," the man said in a thick Irish brogue. He turned his thick neck towards Jason. "You done it now, boy." The man stood back and took a pose reminiscent of boxing. Jason breathed hard and threw another fist.

The big man swayed right and with expert precision slammed one massive rock of a fist into Jason's cheek. The force took Jason off his feet and bare knuckles split his cheek, sending a splash of blood against the floor.

"Harold!" Eugene Hawk said, standing up and wiping his mouth. He put a hand on the big Harold Kelly's shoulder. "Try not to kill the poor guy. Those fists are classified as weapons, you know?"

"…Tsk." Harold just folded his arms and backed to the wall, leaning on it with his arms crossed. Eugene squatted next to Jason with a bemused expression.

"Well, I wanted to ask you questions but you seem out of it… Ah well." Eugene looked to Harold. "Cuff him. I don't need him going crazy when he wakes. I think he'll be a good candidate to work for us."

"Like that Meagan?" Harold asked gruffly.

"Exactly. He's another we can turn against Sabrina."

* * *

Corey sat in his room, absently watching a show on TV. The days since he had taken his trips to his friends' parents had been just like this day. Simple and slow. Corey appreciated the peacefulness of it but couldn't help feeling guilty. Would the guys want him to just sit here and watch TV?

What else could he do, though? Without them he couldn't do a whole lot of anything. Instead, he was content just to sit and watch the screen, taking in the information without _really_ taking in the information.

The door opened but Corey hardly gave it a thought as his mother poked her head through the door. She wore a concerned look but she had already had a talk with Corey.

"Corey?"

"Yes?"

"You've got a visitor."

This took Corey by surprise. Who the hell was there to visit him? He turned to his mother. "A visitor? Who?"

"It's a girl. Says her name is Marie."

 _Marie?_ Corey was even more surprised. He had only met her once or twice but she was James' girlfriend. She was the one thing he was shy about, which was quite funny to the guys since James was shy about nothing else. What could Marie be doing, visiting him? He adjusted his beanie nervously and put the remote aside. "Oh… I guess I'll talk to her."

"Should I let her in?"

"Sure." Corey shrugged. "I guess."

His mother nodded and left. Soon after a girl probably about three years older than Corey walked in. Marie was dressed in a nice looking black dress that didn't show too much skin and seemed quite dignified. He wondered if that was her mourning clothes? Her hair was loose, framing her thin face. The door shut behind her and Marie looked awkwardly at Corey.

"Hey Corey."

"Marie… Um, hey." Corey stood and faced her. "This is a little bit of a surprise."

"I know. I'm sorry." Marie rubbed the bottom of her elbow. "I know we didn't really see each other much so it's strange than I'm here."

"Heh… James didn't really enjoy talking about you," Corey said with a bitter smile. It was still hard to say his name.

"Jay was a shy one…" It was Marie's turn to smile. "I know he'd deny it furiously, but he really was. Shy, that is."

Corey nodded. He had never heard James called Jay before. A pet name, perhaps? Hearing that, Corey couldn't but wonder just what else he didn't know about James, and for that matter Gordon and Carl. Corey guessed that there were things even best friends didn't tell each other.

"I just… I wanted to talk to someone, about James. There wasn't many who knew him for who he really is, but he counted you among his few friends. And, well… you're the last one left."

Corey knew she didn't mean it harshly, but it still struck a chord in his chest. He was far too young to be the last survivor of a group of friends, right? "What did you want to talk about… y'know, specifically."

Marie sighed. "Honestly… I'm not sure." Marie looked around the room. "Can we walk and talk? I always liked to walk with James."

"Sure." Corey shrugged again and let Marie lead him out of his own flat.

They started walking down the street, the cold wind whipping at their cheeks. Corey was silent, his eyes cast to the floor. Marie stayed quiet for a while as well, her hands in her jacket pocket. Corey wasn't sure what to say. What could he say? Talking about James would be hard for both of them. He wondered why she came to him, why she thought talking about him would be a good thing. Perhaps she was just looking for a way to handle her grief.

"…I'll always love him, y'know." Marie finally said after walking for what seemed quite a while. She stopped in front of a building with a strange grey front. Corey looked at the building, confused. The words 'Textile' were written in large white letters above the pair of double doors. Why did that ring a bell? "This is a night club, if you're wondering. We used to always come here. We didn't dance really, or even drink that much. We sat in the back booths and just talked." Marie walked up to the doors and just stood in front of them. "I think it'll be best to talk about him in the place he loved the most." With that, Marie opened the doors wide.

It was strangely dark in the corridor. Corey walked in and looked around the musky interior. Strangely enough, there wasn't anyone at the booth in the corner where one would usually get stamps to come in. A shiver ran down Corey's spine as he turned towards Marie. She wasn't following but was standing in the doorway still. "I really do love him." She said, her face slowly twisting in anger. "I hate that you're alive instead of him." With that, she quickly took a step backwards and closed the doors.

"WALKER!" A shout rang through the foyer of the nightclub. Corey slowly turned to find James Mayfair's father standing at the entrance of the main floor, carrying a strange cylindrical object in his hand. Corey realized with fright that it was a metal pipe, complete with a screw sticking out of the end. "You killed my son!" His voice was slurred with drink and he spun the pipe menacingly in his hands. "You'll pay for it! With blood!"

Corey turned back to the door and ran up to it, scared. He tried to open it but the doors only rattled. "Marie!? Hey, let me out! Come on!" There was no response. Corey grit his teeth, feeling the tears coming to his eyes. Why did it turn out like this?

Corey turned just in time for the pipe to lash towards him, catching him right in the temple, knocking him into darkness.


	20. The Textile Nightclub

**Chapter Seventeen**

 **The Textile Nightclub**

The peculiar group of four sat in awkward silence within an old black van. Bridge was in the driver's seat, leaning against the wheel watching with his one good eye. In the passenger seat was Lily, sitting cross-legged on the old cracked leather upholstery. Sitting with their backs against the side were Sabrina and Ruby. Sabrina refused to look at Ruby whenever she tried to make eye contact, so Ruby had just given up for now. She wasn't too sure on how she felt about Sabrina withholding vital information.

Lily had worked wonders on Ruby's laptop, once again proving she had skills beyond her look. As Corey Walker was the one suspected of pulling the fire alarm at Epsilon – much to Ruby's embarrassment – his name had popped up in early news reports before the full details were out. With the name in hand, Lily had quickly found a social media website under Corey's name, which matched the person Sabrina had seen in her vision. Finally they had browsed through his public photos until they found one with a group of four friends standing outside a block of apartments, grinning from ear to ear. Lily had found the apartments easily using a maps website and they had followed the directions in Bridge's old band van.

Ruby could still hardly believe how the situation had evolved. Sitting in the same van as Bridge, the megastar, was unbelievable. If it had been any other day, she would have been asking him as many questions as she could. With Sabrina's attitude and the general coldness around the van, along with the threat of death lingering in the air, it just wasn't the right time for that kind of thing.

"There," Bridge's gruff voice finally broke the awkward silence. He nodded his bandaged head towards the road leading from the apartments. A man and a woman were walking slowly down the pavement without talking. The man was clearly Corey Walker, looking somewhat depressed with his hands shoved into his pockets. The girl walked slightly behind him, staring directly at his back with a strange expression.

Bridge let the duo walk away a bit, his hands twitching on the wheel of his van. They had decided to go after Corey out of the three other survivors because he was apparently next on Sabrina's list. The other man would have been after Corey, followed by Ruby and then Sabrina. When Ruby thought of that it just made her shiver. She didn't like this impending doom coming down on her shoulders but she wanted to remain an optimist, to support Sabrina even if she was hiding things from her.

After Corey and the girl had travelled a good distance down the street, Bridge started up the van and started driving slowly after them. Every time they turned a corner Bridge would head straight forward and turn down the next corner. It seemed he had a good knowledge of how London's streets worked. Occasionally Lily would throw in a 'right' or a 'left', which Bridge begrudgingly obeyed. Ruby's observations proved that these two had a peculiar relationship. Lily seemed to adore Bridge beyond even a fan's adoration, while Bridge would snap at her and get irritated quickly. It was obvious Lily had feelings for Bridge but whether Bridge was trying to deny those feelings or just didn't have any to begin with was a completely different question. The man was certainly an enigma, true to his nickname.

Eventually Corey and the girl came to a stop outside a building with a black front. The words 'Textile' were written in white letters above the set of double doors. The windows were completely blacked out and covered in old posters that had faded in the weather. They were likely a year or two old.

"Oh hey, that's a night club," Lily pointed out.

"Of course it is," Bridge replied with a frown.

"It's a bit early to go clubbing."

"I doubt that's what they are there for," Bridge responded as curtly as ever. "Why here?"

Lily narrowed her eyebrows, something slowly coming to mind. Finally she smiled. "Perhaps it's related to his friend, James? This nightclub is owned by Ethan Mayfair, the same last name as his friend. Can't be a coincidence, right? Perhaps they're coming to pay their respects." As they watched Corey enter the nightclub after a brief chat with the girl and the girl stand in the doorway, Lily looked with interest at the scene. "She's not following. Oh." They watched as the girl suddenly closed the doors and slid a nearby slender pipe that had obviously been set out earlier through the two handles. She stepped away from the door, her hands on her face. She was shaking and perhaps even crying, though she was too far to make out the details.

Ruby looked through the front window, leaning on the back of Bridge's seat. "…That doesn't look good."

"What should we do, Bridge?" Lily glanced to the driver's seat.

"We wait. As far as I understand it, he shouldn't be in danger until Princess over there receives one of those visions. Got any, Princess?"

At the direct question, Sabrina just shrugged. "No."

"I hope you're telling the truth now." Bridge looked back at Sabrina, a dangerous glint in his eye. "It wouldn't do to be lying to me, now."

"I'm not lying," Sabrina replied haughtily, folding her arms.

"Good."

"Why would she lock the doors?" Ruby questioned. "It's not right. I have a bad feeling. We should… I dunno, call the police?"

"Ha!" Bridge just barked out a short laugh. "Calling the police will not be suitable in this kind of situation. How the hell are you gonna explain all of this to them? Hm? We sit here and we wait till he shows his face."

"I actually agree with Pink," Lily said, her eyes scanning the nightclub. "It ain't right for that girl to bar the doors. It's a bit suspicious, actually. Besides, if we go in we can talk to Corey and get him to come with us. Better to act now than wait for a later that may never come, right?"

Bridge just sighed, exasperated. "Do whatever you want. You want to go in, we'll go in."

"Right! Sounds like fun!" With that, Lily hopped out of the van's door and stood in the chilled air. "You guys go through the front." Without an explanation, Lily moved at a surprisingly quiet sprint down the alley beside the club. Bridge just sighed once more and climbed out of the van.

Ruby stood up, ducking her head to avoid smacking it into the roof of the van, but looked at Sabrina when she didn't make any movement. "You're coming, right?"

"This is ridiculous. A waste of time. Nothing'll happen to him before I get my vision." Sabrina said, folding her arms.

"And what'll we do if you get your vision while we're in there, huh? Come on, don't be like this. You have the chance to help save somebody, you know?" Ruby pleaded with Sabrina. "This situation is honestly crazy, but I think we just need to go along with it. Corey has a right to know just what is going on."

Sabrina closed her eyes and heaved a breath. "Fine," she finally said, pulling herself up. "I'll say it again though – I'm _not_ getting myself or you into danger. The first sign of it and we'll let Bridge and Lily deal with it."

"I'm not sure I agree with that line of thinking," Ruby frowned, but Sabrina just pushed open the back doors.

"Tough. That's how it is," Sabrina said with no room for argument.

* * *

While the group of four followed Corey and Marie, another party was following them. A figure stood at the end of the street, glaring down as the wind whipped at her hair. Meagan started walking slowly down the street, one hand in her coat pocket as if making sure that the item she had brought along with her with still there.

She had gotten a phone call from Eugene Hawk, who told her to come to this nightclub as Sabrina would be showing up. How he knew that was a completely different question, but Meagan didn't need to know how he knew. All she cared about was finding Sabrina, getting answers from her, and finally making her pay for what she did to Trenton.

All the time since Trenton's death had only confirmed to her what she needed to do.

* * *

The girl had already walked away as Bridge, Sabrina and Ruby approached the front of Textile's door. Lily had long since disappeared around the back of the nightclub. Without hesitation, Bridge pulled the pole from the doors and threw them open.

The inside of the club's reception was dark and dingy. Another set of double doors stood in front of them and Bridge walked straight towards them. He put his hand on the handle and suddenly paused as he heard voices through the door. He put his ear closer and listened.

"…Samuel… I think hitting him like that was enough. We don't want to permanently injure the boy."

"That's not enough! He killed my son!" The replying voice had a vicious drunken slur to his words. "I want him to suffer! I won't kill him. Probably."

"As you say, brother. Just remember, don't get too much blood over the floors. I need to open up tonight."

With those words, Bridge glanced to Sabrina and Ruby. "You two, you ready for a fight?"

Ruby blanched. "A fight? Are you kidding? Why would there be a fight?"

Sabrina frowned. "What are you planning?"

"It's more what these people sound like. I'd suggest you stay out here if you can't fight."

"I can handle myself," Sabrina said, surprising Ruby. "Ruby, you should stay out here."

"N-N-No, I'm staying with you guys. That's safer for me, right?" It took all of Ruby's effort to say that. A fear was gnawing at her heart but she tried to remain calm-faced.

Sabrina looked at Ruby with intensity. "Then stay behind me. Don't do anything you can't do, okay?" She turned back to Bridge. "Then we're ready."

"Good." With that, Bridge took a single step backwards, raised his right leg and slammed his boot as hard as he could into the double doors.

With a loud _bang_ the doors swung open, causing all within the room to look in Bridge's direction in shock.

Corey was directly in the middle of the room, tied roughly to a chair. He head was hanging limply, blood staining the right side of his head coming out from underneath his beany. The man named Samuel was standing in front of him, a metal pipe held in his left hand. Samuel just looked at Bridge, jaw hanging open like a fool.

However, Bridge's attention quickly flashed to the rest of the people in the room. A quick count made eight thugs. Two of the eight were big and burly, three of them were short and thin, two more of them were females with nasty expressions, while the last was evidently the leader of the gang by the way he stood with his arms crossed.

Bridge analysed all this with an expert eye and quietly spoke to Sabrina next to him. "When it happens, the three little ones will come first. They'll be like weasels, quick but with not much power. If we deal with 'em immediately and quickly, we should strike doubt in the rest. Then we can work from there." As Sabrina nodded, tensing up, Ruby just shook in fear at the scene before her. This was like something out of a movie that she didn't belong to. How Bridge and Sabrina could be so confident and speak about a fight like nothing was beyond her.

"Who the fuck are you!?" Samuel cried out in his drunken anger. "This is none of your business."

"Sorry, but we need to chat with your friend there," Bridge motioned towards the unmoving Corey.

"I would recommend you leave." The leader of the little gang looked at Bridge with a dangerous glint in his eye. He had named Samuel as his brother, so he must have been Ethan Mayfair. "Pretend like you never saw anything."

"He's pretty beat up," one of the little weasel's sniggered.

"Hang on… he looks familiar…" One of the females was looking at Bridge intensely.

"He's friggin' tall!" Another of the weasels exclaimed.

"The harder they fall," one of the brute's grunted, slamming his fist into the palm of his hand.

"We won't be leaving without Corey," Bridge just said, his arms hanging loosely at his side. "We don't won't trouble but if you cause it then it's your own fault what happens next."

"That a threat!?" Samuel growled, looking at his brother. "You gonna let this stand, Ethan? You gonna let him threaten you in your own club!?"

"Shush, Samuel. You're embarrassing yourself." Ethan remained calm as he gently opened his coat. Ruby let out a small gasp as the handle of a pistol could be seen. Just what kind of man was this? London didn't have these kind of gangs, did it?

"Scary," Bridge replied without even flinching. "Thanks for revealing that vital piece of info, though."

Ethan sneered at this. "Fine. I warned you. Besides, I can't let you report to the police after all of this now, can I?" He motioned to the three weasels. "Go."

However, before anyone could move, the lights suddenly went out, plunging the night club into complete darkness.

* * *

 **A/N:- Hey guys! Just wanted to point out that this is a little bit of a personal milestone for me. If any of you read the original Encore, the arrival at the nightclub was where I stopped submitting chapters. Now, the story is different, some characters are different, but still, we have reached that same point. It's cathartic to know that if I try hard enough, I can get back on the train I was rolling on before.**

 **Anywho, thanks as always and 'till next time!**


	21. Party on the Dance Floor

**Chapter Eighteen**

 **Party on the Dance Floor**

"Who turned off the lights?"

"What's going on!?"

"Something's wrong!"

As the dance floor was plunged into darkness, the goons started to panic. They didn't have much time to, though, before the lights suddenly flicked back on but this time they were as bright as they could go. The intense lights crashed down upon the open eyes of the people on the dance floor, causing them to yell out and cover their eyes in pain.

Then something harsh and loud burst out over the speakers set up around the club. It was dance music that pumped and pulled at the atmosphere, causing the disorientation to increase to an almost painful standard.

With the music and the lights of the club bouncing back and forth, Ethan Mayfair could only clutch his head in pain, beckoning towards the control booth. "TURN THAT SHIT OFF!" He roared, his voice nearly disappearing under the loud volume of the music. It was turned on to full, smashing their eyes with harsh noise. Ethan turned to look back at the three visitors and didn't even have time to gasp before a sharp elbow made contact with his nose, dropping him with ease.

Bridge stood over the gang leader, seemingly unaffected by the lights and the music. He quickly fished in the jacket of Ethan, pulling out the pistol and throwing it as hard as he could into the corner of the room. He made to move towards one of the bigger goons, but something hard hit into the back of his leg. Bridge cursed as he fell to one knee, the word lost amongst the torrent of sound.

Samuel Mayfair was swinging his pipe around wildly without seeing where he was aiming. To his drunk mind, the music must have felt like it was splitting his skull around. The hit to Bridge's knee had only been a lucky one – if not a painful one.

While Bridge was forced to avoid wild pipe swings, Sabrina had made her way to the first of the two females. One had taken out a small penknife but had her eyes squeezed shut to avoid the intense light. Sabrina grabbed the shoulders of the woman and threw her across the nearest table, sending her and the knife sprawling. The other female had managed to get her eyes open and she spotted Sabrina, a grimace crossing her face. It was clear the pounding music was hurting. However, she still raised her fists to Sabrina. Sabrina just stood across from her, trying to filter out the lights and the music, although that was a task in of itself.

Ruby, on the other hand, had been half-blinded by the music and she couldn't hear a single thing. She had been to many a rock concert but she was worried her eardrums had finally ruptured. Despite this, she crawled forward towards where Corey had been tied. The sound had obviously woken him judging by his pained and confused expression on his face, his eyes wide open. Ruby managed to get behind the chair and worked at the ropes.

Then all of a sudden the music stopped and the lights dimmed down. The silence was almost painful in its own way after all that noise. Nobody moved. Well, nobody except for Sabrina and Bridge, who acted with ruthless efficiency. Bridge went for Samuel, Ruby saw, with a slight limp. However he weaved by an errant pipe swing and clocked Samuel hard on the nose, the same way he had knocked down the leader. The drunk man collapsed and Bridge grabbed the pipe with his long slender hands, clenching it tightly.

As the remaining woman grimaced at the sudden silence, Sabrina took a step forward and grabbed the woman's arm, twisting it behind her back and wrenching it hard. The woman cried out in pain but Sabrina showed no sympathy as she grabbed a fistful of hair and slammed the woman's head hard on a nearby table. Ruby was shocked. Why could these two just be like this? This was real life, people didn't act like this, right?

One of the larger men let out a roar and reached for Bridge. Bridge just swung the pipe with brutal effectiveness, shattering the man's knee in one strike. As soon as the man dropped to his knees, Bridge bashed the pipe across the man's head. Seeing such a big man go down just like that honestly scared Ruby. Bridge wasn't just a musician – he couldn't be. He was a monster.

The remaining three gang members on the dance floor decided to gather together, drawing out crude weapons. The big one had a scary looking pair of knuckle dusters, one weasel had a sharp looking knife and the other had what looked to be a screwdriver. They had finally gotten some measure of control over their senses and started towards Sabrina, who they deemed an easier target than Bridge.

Ruby gulped. What kind of people were these? No-one _really_ carried around weapons like this, did they? She was extremely worried about Sabrina but forced herself to focus on the tight knots binding Corey to the chair. She had to make sure he was safe. Since she couldn't fight it was all she could do. Nearly there, Ruby didn't even realize Ethan Mayfair had stood up until his arm drew tight across her throat. Ruby was lifted up, her breath cut short.

"Everyone stop!" He roared, his face covered in crimson from Bridge's blow. Bridge merely glanced at Ruby as if he wasn't too affected, but he did stop moving to help Sabrina. The three goons looked at their leader with smiles, staying surrounded around Sabrina. Samuel slowly stood up in a drunken stupor, anger carved into his face. Sabrina could only stare at Ethan with Ruby in his arms, a chill running through her chest. "You, girl, and you, big man. Stop! Or I'll kill this girl!"

"Don't-" Sabrina started but Ethan tightened his grip, causing Ruby's eyes to widen.

"SHUT IT!" Ethan panted after yelling, his shoulders heaving. "I don't know who you think you are… But I've had enough! You two think you're some kind of action heroes, huh?" Ethan spat on the floor. "Samuel, feel free to do what you like with that guy. I don't care what you do." Ethan stared at Bridge as Samuel started moving. "You react in _any_ way, I snap this scrawny neck as easy as a twig, you hear me?"

Bridge frowned but didn't move. He just stared at Samuel and true to Ethan's words, didn't move a muscle as Samuel sent a heavy fist into Bridge's stomach. Bridge gasped in pain but remained standing. Samuel drove another fist and yet another into the stomach before Bridge finally collapsed to his knees, wheezing.

"How'd you like that, big man? Huh? Think you're all that!?" Samuel grabbed the pipe from where it had dropped to the floor, testing its weight. "Have this!" He swung the pipe like a bat, hitting Bridge hard in the arm. This time Bridge actually cried out as the weapon smashed into him, the pain running over his body in sharp electric jolts.

"And you three," Ethan continued, his grip loosening slightly on Ruby. "Give her a lesson."

With that, the three men converged on Sabrina. Sabrina gritted her teeth staring at Ruby and her pleading eyes. She knew Ruby wanted her to fight but Sabrina couldn't do that, couldn't risk Ruby's life like that.

When the fist of the big man hit her, knuckle-duster and all, Sabrina fell to the floor, blood already welling out of her mouth. Ruby let out a horrified shout but Ethan quickly tightened his grasp again, cutting off the sound. With Sabrina down on the floor, the three men started viciously kicking her. It was all Sabrina could do to curl up into a ball and protect her head, taking the brunt of the blows to her legs and back.

Samuel gleefully watched this before turning his attention back to Bridge. "Let's see what you're hidin' under there!" He grabbed a fistful of bandages and tore them straight off Bridge's face. As soon as the bandages were gone, Samuel stepped back in revulsion. "JESUS! What the hell happened to you!?"

The skin on the right side of Bridge's face had gone stiff and a low red from where he had been burned. The right side of his lips curled up into an almost freakish smile, the muscles stretched and taught. His right eyebrow was completely gone and the hair that remained on that side was fused to his skull. Bridge looked absolutely horrifying, but he just smiled at Samuel. "Scare you that easy, do I?" He spat on the floor, clutching his arm in pain. "Do what you will, coward."

Samuel hefted the pipe over his shoulder. "I'll crush your skull into powder for what you did to me!" Much like Ethan, Samuel's nose had broken, blood running down his jaw and the skin around the top of his nose already turning blue and black. Just as he started to swing, something stabbed hard into his back. He let out a scream of pain, the pipe dropping with a clatter.

"What-?" Ethan started to say but was distracted but a sharp pain in his leg. The pain was shock enough to cause him to let go of Ruby, allowing her to collapse to the floor, coughing. Ethan turned to find Corey with a mouthful of jeans and leg, his arms loosened but still tied. He had thrown himself off the chair but was evidently still feeling the effects of the blow to the head he had taken. "Get… the… fuck… off!" He slammed his fist hard on top of Corey's head. Corey cried out in pain, falling away from Ethan. "Jesus…"

He turned to see the situation with Samuel and took a step back, aghast. Samuel was on the floor, a pair of long scissors sticking out of his chest. Standing over him like a demon was the blood-drenched figure of another young girl with a black jacket. She was breathing hard, her eyes wide. The blood, strangely enough, didn't seem to be from Samuel _or_ the girl. But wait… where had Bridge gone?

The answer came from the side as the metal pipe was swung low, catching Ethan Mayfair right in the groin. He collapsed with barely a groan to his knees. Bridge watched Ethan for a moment before swinging the pipe again, this time aiming the long screw end at Ethan. It caught the man right in the eye, causing him to fall backwards and scream, blood gushing down his face. Bridge dropped the pipe and turned towards Sabrina but it seemed he needn't have worried.

When Ethan and Samuel had been attacked, the three had taken their eyes off of Sabrina and that had proven to be a mistake. She had knocked both little ones out by cracking their heads together, hard. The big man was also on the floor, his back against the wall with wild eyes flicking back and forth as he clutched a screwdriver that was stabbed into his neck.

Sabrina limped over to Ruby, betraying how much her body must have been hurting. She offered a hand to Ruby. "I'm sorry… about all of this."

Ruby shivered and shook. "What… What did you do?"

"I did what was necessary."

Ruby just grew pale and shook her head. "This is too-too much. Just… this is crazy… you and Bridge and… and even Lily…" She looked to Lily who was back to her carefree self, looking over Bridge as if she wasn't covered head to toe in blood. "How can you do that?! How can you just… be like that?"

"…You killed… some of them…" Corey croaked out from beside Ruby. "How could you… that's just…"

Sabrina didn't say a word. Ruby couldn't read if she regretted what she had done or not. She did know that she did it to protect Ruby. It was just that Ruby didn't know what to feel over those actions.

"…Who?" Corey slowly stood up, one hand clutching his head while the other used the bar to help himself up. "Who are you people? I mean..." He took a look around the room again, feeling sick. "…What have you done…?" He looked to Sabrina in his quest for an answer.

However, Sabrina wasn't able to answer in time.

Little did Lily know when it happened but when she had sent the music pulsing at full volume throughout the club, it had loosened old bolts on a particular speaker, standing above the bar. At the point Corey had stood, using the bar to help himself to his feet. And asking his question, the speaker was finally defeated by gravity, snapping from its loosened bolts. It fell hard and quick – but didn't hit anybody. Instead, it smashed through the shelves of alcohol lining the back wall behind the bar. As the bottles shattered into thousands of pieces, a good amount of the alcohol splashed against Corey's chest and face.

When the speaker smashed hard on the floor, it cracked in two, the electrical component tearing apart and sending sparks into the air. These sparks caught hold of the alcohol and without warning burst across the floor of the bar, spreading across the liquid. Then the alcohol on the bar caught fire, and in turn hit Corey's hand that was still on the bar. The fire travelled up his arm and engulfed his chest and head in flames.

Corey could only scream, stumbling back, batting away at his chest and face in a futile attempt to put out the fire.

No-one could do anything. Sabrina was clutching her leg, obviously in pain. Ruby was still on the floor, her eyes wide open in shock. Lily was supporting Bridge, who seemed more affected by the injuries to his arm and legs than he let on. Bridge's eye looked at the fire and he actually drew back, something Lily didn't fail to notice.

The screams of Corey grew shriller and louder before finally they shut off as if a switch had been turned. Corey fell to the floor, still burning, but deathly quiet.

The four survivors inside the club could only watch and listen as his flesh crackled and blackened. Ruby could feel her stomach heaving and turned away, trying to keep it in. Bridge stumbled backwards and fell heavily down into a nearby chair, surprising Lily.

"Bridge? What's wrong?!"

But Bridge didn't answer, just stared at the fire as if enraptured by the flames.

"Hah… Hah…" Ruby finally opened her eyes to look at Sabrina, who was panting heavily. "…Hah…"

"S-Sabrina…?"

"…I can't… do it… not again…" Sabrina wasn't talking to Ruby. Ruby wasn't exactly sure _who_ Sabrina was talking to. "I can't!" With that final exclamation, Sabrina suddenly ran off at a full sprint, leaving Bridge, Lily, and Sabrina alone with the burning corpse of Corey Walker.


	22. Following a Lead

**Chapter Nineteen**

 **Following a Lead**

Jason had a lot on his mind and for the first time in recent days it wasn't Maylene. He had woken around four hours before handcuffed to a chair facing the two men who had attacked him – or, Jason had to admit to himself, that he had attacked. His jaw felt like it was hanging off but the pain had actually worked out in his favour. His mind wasn't so clouded and he had finally managed to gain control of himself.

Once Eugene was certain Jason wasn't about to send an errant punch his way, he had happily obliged to take the tight handcuffs off of Jason's wrist. Jason could remember the conversation surprisingly clearly.

* * *

 _"Jason Ryan. You pack quite the punch." Eugene let off a small smile as he massaged his face._

 _"I'm sorry." Jason looked down, ashamed of himself. He had let himself get bad – really bad._

 _"Don't be. You're obviously more than a little affected by recent events. Well, we never quite made our introductions, did we? My name is Eugene Hawk and this here is Harold Kelly. Again, we're investigators. That seemed to have… triggered you before."_

 _"…I'm not the biggest fan of investigators… as you may have guessed. They bothered me during a hard time of my life."_

 _"That'd be Maylene Delroy, correct?" Eugene asked carefully. Jason appreciated the respect in his voice but didn't want to linger on the subject._

 _"…Yes." He answered with hesitation. "Is this… about then?"_

 _"No, no, don't worry about it. This is about a more recent incident. The Epsilon Concert Hall."_

 _"What about it?"_

 _"We're concerned that what happened there could have been prevented."_

 _Jason just shrugged. "All accidents can be prevented. Sometimes it's too late before you realise it though."_

 _"But this time it wasn't too late. Tell me, do you know of a girl named Sabrina Holland?"_

 _"Doesn't ring a bell."_

 _"Well, she was at the Epsilon Concert Hall. One of your fellow survivors. Now, what makes her so special is that she knew about the accident beforehand." Eugene looked at Jason with a strange expression, as if he was trying to read him. Jason wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for. "And do you know what she did, Jason? Nothing. Nothing at all. She knew about that accident and she chose to leave it be. It was only by the foresight of whoever pulled the fire alarm that people like you made it out of there."_

 _Jason frowned, crossing his arms. "That's… interesting, I suppose. But why does that bother me? If this Sabrina knew about the accident like you say, then isn't that an issue for the police, not somebody like me? Why would you need to visit me for something like that?"_

 _"Well, we believe you can help us."_

 _"Help you? How?"_

 _At this, Eugene leaned forward. "Sabrina Holland is the kind of person who would sacrifice anything and anyone to survive. She needs to be stopped before she can hurt others."_

 _"That doesn't explain why you need my help."_

 _"She's hurting people who made it out of the Epsilon Concert Hall. Have you seen the news lately?"_

 _"No." Jason shook his head. "I've been… well, preoccupied."_

 _"Eddy Cool. Trenton Ferris. Bridge. Two of these three people are dead, and the third took a serious injury. This is because of Sabrina Holland."_

 _"So she's some kind of killer?"_

 _"Exactly!"_

 _Jason just sighed, massaging his temples. "That especially doesn't sound like something I can help with." He looked at Eugene with narrowed eyes. "I think there's something you're not telling me. I think you're hiding something."_

 _Eugene grinned, his eyes seeming like he had expected this question. "Well, there is something… a little bit strange, about all of this."_

 _"Strange?"_

 _"Harold and I, we may be investigators but we're not your typical ones. We belong to the DSI. The Department of Supernatural Investigations."_

 _"The… The what? Supernatural?"_

 _"This is why I didn't want to tell you. It's hard to believe, I know. We keep ourselves below ground for the most part, sorting out the strange incidents before they can become known to the world. It was deemed too dangerous to announce our presence."_

 _Jason just shook his head. "This is… crazy. I don't know what you two want. I can't help you with whatever you need me for regarding this Sabrina Holland."_

 _"This is too sensitive a matter to go to the police with Jason. You are one of the few who will be directly affected by Sabrina's actions, sooner rather than later. You are under threat and you can prevent that."_

 _"No." Jason shook his head firmly. "This is not something I want to deal with, okay? I'm not in a good place at the moment and it's taking all my effort to keep some semblance of calm. So I'd like to ask you two to leave."_

 _"Hmm… Wouldn't you like to know exactly what Sabrina is doing?"_

 _"Not particularly. If it's that serious, then I'm sure you will solve it with or without me."_

 _"Fair enough, fair enough." Eugene stood up and pulled a small card from his pocket, placing it on the table. "If you need to contact me, use this number. Please consider your own safety, Jason." With that, Eugene started towards the door but stopped in the middle of the door frame. He didn't turn as he spoke. "…We can also help with ghosts, Jason."_

 _Jason froze._

 _"You can finally be free of Maylene's gaze. She won't be looking at you in the mirror, won't be judging you from behind, won't be driving you into a corner. If you work with us, then we can get rid of all of that for you. You'd finally be able to move on. Well, anywho, think about it." With that, Eugene left, trailed by Harold._

* * *

It had taken Jason longer than he had expected to move again. Wasn't Maylene in his head? But how could this Eugene know the specifics… With these thoughts running through his head, Jason had finally asked himself the fateful question that had captured his attention. _Just who were the DSI? And who were Eugene Hawk and Harold Kelly?_

He finally had a goal and for the first time since the accident, his mind was free to focus. He had taken a quick shower, combed his hair, shaved his stubble and put on a fresh pair of new clothes, all without seeing Maylene lingering anywhere. He quickly used his laptop he had stashed away under his bed when he first arrived at the hotel and found the nearest library.

That led him to where he sat now in the Holborn Library, just a few blocks away from his hotel. Jason sat in a comfy blue chair, laptop on his knees, searching for any information he could find about the DSI, Eugene Hawk, or Harold Kelly. He had bought a small notebook from a corner store which was laying on the table to his left, open wide with scribbles over the white paper.

The information that he had found was few and far between. There was nearly nothing about the DSI as a company itself, other than one mention on a forum that they were visiting a haunted house down in Somerset, though nothing else was said about that one. Eugene Hawk was nowhere to be seen in Jason's research. There was no mention of the man.

Harold Kelly, on the other hand, proved to have more information about him. The large man had been a prominent boxer back in the eighties. He had never won a belt but it was said that he would have been close to it. Jason found an archive of old sports news reports. Harold Kelly had debuted in Ireland to start off with, before going national. He had never gone overseas but he had boxed all over the UK.

Then in the early nineties something had happened. Jason couldn't find hide nor hair of what exactly went down, but Harold Kelly left the boxing scene entirely. Whatever had happened had been covered up well. Whatever happened after that was anybody's guess. He disappeared from the internet as if he had simply up and disappeared.

The long light strip high above Jason hummed slightly louder than it had already been going. He put a hand on his head in irritation. He wanted to find out something a little bit more about the DSI but it seemed hopeless. Could Eugene have just been talking nonsense? But the fact that Eugene nor the DSI appeared anywhere at least confirmed something strange.

As Jason thought about all of these, there was a warning shout from above. Jason looked up just in time to see something blue and T-shaped fall from the balcony above. He instinctively covered his head with his arm, allowing the surprisingly light thing to bounce off.

"Sorry!" A man poked his head out from the balcony above. "Didn't mean to disturb you. Cleaning these windows up here. Can you throw that back up?"

Jason realised now that what had fallen was a squeegee. "Sure," he called back up quietly, so as not to disturb the other people in the library who were looking their way. He grabbed the squeegee and gently threw it back up the balcony. The man received it gratefully.

"Thanks. Sorry again."

Jason sat back down again and moved back to his laptop. What else could he do to find out more about the DSI? He didn't realise that he had pulled out Eugene's business card before he was staring at it. He looked at it, chewing his bottom lip.

Eugene's promise of getting rid of Jason's ghosts still hovered at the back of his mind. Was something like that really possible?

Jason just didn't know what to think anymore.

* * *

Ruby ran after Sabrina, her breath catching in her throat. She certainly wasn't used to running like this. Sabrina was faster, moving around corners and into alleys. She seemed intent on losing Ruby but Ruby wasn't going to accept that. The adrenaline ran through her as she sprinted across a road, letting the honks of the horns wash over her as she dodged the traffic.

The intensity of chasing after Sabrina allowed Ruby to ignore what had just happened to Corey. She knew that if she let herself contemplate what had happened it would take her to a dark place. Ruby used chasing after Sabrina as an excuse to put that aside for now.

Sabrina ran down a long pavement, a construction site rising up on her left. Ruby expected her to turn right, down another road, but instead Sabrina turned into the construction site, her trainers pounding off the dirt.

"Sabrina!" Ruby called, her voice coming out strained. Sabrina just ignored her call, hopping over the yellow barrier and heading straight for the site itself. There was nobody around but Ruby supposed that was typical for a British construction site. In fact, she was glad of the fact otherwise it would have been hard to follow Sabrina into the site itself. "Stop!"

Sabrina ran into the main bulk of the site and ran up a concrete ramp. Ruby was forced to follow her up one, two, and then the third floor. Sweat poured down Ruby's face as she followed her friend, seeking answers.

Finally Sabrina came to a stop, collapsing against a wall, her back turned to Ruby. Ruby slowed down herself, jogging towards Sabrina. Her legs ached and her body protested but she didn't let that bother her. She finally came to a stop behind Sabrina. After finally regaining her breath, Ruby looked at Sabrina's back. "Sabrina…"

"…You shouldn't have followed me…" Sabrina's voice came out surprisingly quiet.

"Why did you run like that?" Ruby asked, rubbing the sweat from her forehead.

"You need to go."

"Talk to me, Sabrina."

"Get out!" Sabrina shouted, her voice ringing throughout the construction site. The volume took Ruby by surprise but it wasn't the volume that made Ruby approach Sabrina in concern. It was the crack of her voice as she said those words. Ruby gently placed her hand on Sabrina's shoulder. Sabrina flinched but didn't draw away.

"You don't need to run from me, Sabrina. I'm here to listen. I'm not going to go so you might as well just talk," Ruby forced out a soft laugh, trying to get Sabrina to loosen up slightly. "…So turn around. Talk to me." Sabrina's shoulders started to shake viciously under Ruby's hand. She lifted her own hand to put it on top of Ruby's. Ruby could feel the old burn scars as Sabrina squeezed, realising with a start that the two of them hadn't had any kind of physical contact in the two years they had known each other. "Sabrina…"

Sabrina slowly turned her head and Ruby found herself staring into the watery eyes of a girl who had lost everything, not the eyes of the strong woman Ruby had known for those two years. Sabrina had never shown a face like this. It was raw emotion, tears running down her cheeks, her mouth trembling.

It tore at Ruby's heart to see Sabrina like this. She didn't say a word as she wrapped her arms around Sabrina from behind, clutching her tightly. She didn't know what Sabrina was going through, didn't know what was affecting her so badly. Ruby didn't understand entirely what Sabrina had said about those visions of hers, or of the deaths that were happening. She didn't understand why she could fight those people at the club like that. Ruby didn't know much at all about Sabrina, now or then, but that didn't matter. The one thing Ruby knew, at this moment, was that Sabrina needed somebody to hold.

* * *

 _ **A/N:- With that, we've reached the end of the third 'act' of Encore. One more interlude to go and the end will start drawing near. Just for a fun fact, the four 'act' names were The Tragedy at Epsilon, The Aftermath of Survival, The Chase of the Chosen, and the last act coming up, The Fate of the Doomed. I'm looking forward to the final chapters and I hope you are too. Thanks as always for reading, and see you later!**_


	23. Interlude - Three Simple Words

**Interlude**

 **Three Simple Words**

The remnants of the flowerpot was scattered across the pavement, shards of pottery and clumps of dirt mixed with each other. Murmurs of surprise scattered across the few pedestrians, looking at the two figures that had fallen against the wall.

Jake was sitting on the cold stone, Sabrina in his arms from where he had pulled her right out of the way of the falling flowerpot. There was a worried smile on his face as he looked down at Sabrina. "You realise… You realise you have the _worst_ luck, right?"

"I-I guess…" Sabrina slowly pulled herself off of Jake, her face pale.

"Hey, it's okay." Jake hopped up to his feet. "No one got hurt."

"For how long?" Sabrina asked, running a hand over her head. "Jesus, Jake, I can't keep doing this."

"Doing what?" Jake looked at Sabrina, confused. "Sure you've had a run of bad luck, but—"

"It's not just bad luck," Sabrina said firmly. "Look… I don't want to talk about it here."

Jake nodded in understanding. "Let's head back home. We can talk there, if you like? You seem to have something you want to say."

Sabrina only nodded and kept close to Jake as the two of them started walking away from the high street, their planned shopping completely forgotten about. Sabrina's head was only filled with how she would tell Jake about what was going on.

* * *

"…Wow." Jake sat back on the bed, obviously amazed at what Sabrina had just described to him. "A vision like that…" He shook his head and looked to Sabrina. Noticing her expression he leaned forward on the bed and wrapped one arm around her shoulder gently. "You must have been so scared."

"…You believe me?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Jake shrugged with a soft smile. "I trust you, Sabrina. This isn't something you'd lie about. So you've been having… flashes of images?"

"Yes," Sabrina nodded. "They hint towards whatever is going to come after me next. I… They are hard to figure out sometimes. Early on when I tried to avoid those flashes, I did my best to avoid getting anywhere close to the scenes in my mind but a lot of the time they come too soon for me to get out of the location. Like the beach, when we met."

Jake nodded as if finally understanding something. "That's why you were so adamant on not taking those stairs? You knew that those rocks were going to fall. I see, I see…" He stood up and swung around, looking at Sabrina with a determined expression. "So what's the plan, then?"

"…The plan?" Sabrina echoed, unsure of what Jake was implying.

"Well, every problem has a solution, right? So we gotta figure out a way to stop these accidents from happening. You can't live your life being worried what's around the corner, can you?"

"Jake…"

"I think the best bet will be to start with research," Jake seemed focused, his mind whirring hard. "We'll look up things to see if anyone has had any visions like this. I'd find it hard to believe it's something unique to you. Look up unusual accidents – see where we go from there." He paused when he noticed the tears glittering in the corners of Sabrina's eyes. "…What's wrong?"

"Why are you doing this for me?" Sabrina sniffed, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve. "You have no reason to do this."

"No reason?" Jake raised an eyebrow and let out a short chuckle. "Sabrina, I've always been a believer of fate. I reckon it was fate that I saw you down on that beach. I reckon its fate that I saved you and I certainly believe it was fate that I ended up falling in love with you," Jake said those words as if they were the most simple words in the world. "I'm a romantic, what can I say? I've fallen head over heels. That's all the reason I need to want to help you, Sabrina."

"…" Sabrina couldn't find the words. _Love?_ To hear Jake say something like that so simply was strange. She had never thought about being with anyone – her life had been one of studies and getting through school. There wasn't any time for romances.

"So, what do you say?" Jake offered his hand towards Sabrina. "Shall we work together, find the question to all of this so we can figure out the answer?"

Sabrina took a deep breath before looking up at Jake. "Yes. Let's."

* * *

The two of them spent the next few months researching Sabrina's visions and were surprised to find that there were a lot of other cases similar to hers. People who saw accidents before they happened. In most cases, the people who had these visions warned whoever it was they were with and managed to save people. Sabrina hid her feelings about this from Jake – she didn't want to tell him that she hadn't even attempted to save anyone and Jake didn't ask, something Sabrina was immensely relieved about.

Jake proved a whiz with the computer and found a news article reporting on the survivors on one of these accidents. With these names, he looked them up to see if any of them lived close enough to talk to. However, every single person had been killed in an accident themselves. Using this as evidence, Sabrina and Jake deduced that the visions would show clues for other people.

It happened one night when Jake was practising in the gym underneath his house. Sabrina had told him she'd be taking a walk. She assured him that she hadn't had any visions and left the house in the cold air. The moon was full in the sky as she walked all the way to the beach where she had met Jake, nearly three months ago now. The rubble had been cleared from the stairs and the other loose rocks on the cliff had been removed to ensure there was no further danger. Sabrina made her way down these stairs and walked to the water's edge, letting the cold water lap at her bare feet.

Every so often Sabrina would find herself down here just to relax or think about things that she couldn't talk to Jake about. Being surrounded by cliffs on three sides with the water in front of her was just relaxing. It was probably the only place Sabrina could truly let herself feel at ease. She never let Jake know she came down here though, as he would no doubt scold her about the quick tides. Sabrina had long learned the best times to avoid the catching tides, though, so she could sit in peace.

The wind was blowing particularly strong tonight and Sabrina enjoyed the breeze buffeting her face as she thought her tense thoughts. There were two questions she was worrying about; _Can I keep putting Jake in danger?_ And _Why am I putting in this effort?_

The first question was one Sabrina didn't like to think about even though she knew she had to. More than a few times the accidents that Jake had saved Sabrina from got close to injuring him. One of the recent ones had even cut his arm, though he was quick to shake it off. Sabrina didn't enjoy having him put in harm's way, even if he had saved her life on more than a few occasions. Part of her thought that the best thing to do was just run – get the heck out of Cornwall and travel north. Leave Jake and the sea behind.

When she thought this, Sabrina knew that she wouldn't do that. She cared for Jake too much. Which led into one of her answers for the second question. It was tough to keep an eye out for the accidents. Her muscles were constantly tense and she was always on the watch, waiting for the next vision to interrupt her thoughts. A small niggling little part of her mind just wanted to give up. Let whatever was going to happen, happen. But Jake… She loved him. Sabrina knew that much, ever since he had believed her story without a doubt. It wasn't only for Jake that she was putting in the effort to survive though. Quite simply, she _wanted_ to survive. She _wanted_ to live. Sabrina was quite sure she would do anything to ensure survival, even if that was a selfish thought.

… _Anything…?_

Sabrina looked up in surprise, the voice seeming to echo across the tide. She looked around but there was no one on the beach save herself.

 _…You would do anything…?_

What was this? Sabrina felt her lips go dry. The visions were one thing, but hearing voices… That was something else entirely. However, she felt something within herself and said quietly into the air, "…Who are you?" The mysterious voice answered immediately.

 _…I am the one who watches over you… I am the wind in the sky and the waves of the oceans. I am the one who listens and I am the one who sees the conflict within your heart…_

"My conflict?"

 _…Indeed. I see your desire to live, Sabrina Holland. But I also see a desire to give up with no answers in sight. I can tell you now that you cannot give up…_

Despite the fact she was talking to the wind itself, Sabrina felt enthralled in this conversation. She stood up, letting the wind whip at her clothes and body. "You sound like you have answers to what's happening to me."

… _I do…_

"Then what can I do to stop this? To stop these visions? To stop the accidents?"

 _…It is quite simple… a life for a life…_

Sabrina felt herself go pale. "A life… for… you don't mean… _kill_ , do you?"

… _He requires souls and he will get his fill. Whose soul that is does not matter to him. However, you cannot simply just exchange your soul with anyone's. In order to survive, Sabrina Holland, you must sacrifice that which is closest to you. He who rests in your heart…_

"No! I can't… There must be another way!"

 _…Do you love another? If so, then there is your other way. But you must sacrifice a loved one if you desire to live. You do desire to live, don't you…?_

Sabrina ran a hand over her head, ashamed to admit it out loud. "I do… but… if it means… _that_?"

… _Did you not say you would do anything…? I have given you your answer, Sabrina Holland. You now must choose whether you want to survive or whether you want to perish. The option is yours…_

"There has to be another way!" Sabrina cried out, but the voice on the wind was gone. "Hello!?" There was no reply to Sabrina's shout. She stumbled back in the sand and tripped, falling to her rear. She put both hands to her head, her eyes wide. If she wanted to survive… she would have to kill Jake? But he had done so much for her, she couldn't… but if she didn't, then Death would come for her. Eternal blackness… That thought was too much to bear. Sabrina stayed sitting on the beach, her mind trying to find a solution to this conflict.

* * *

Another month passed and Jake didn't fail to notice the change in Sabrina's attitude. She had grown more withdrawn, less enthusiastic about researching the accidents. He never questioned her, expecting her to talk about it when she was ready.

Sabrina was ready, though. She had made her choice and was now trying to find the right moment. She knew what she had to do. When the orange glow of the sun started to descend over the cliffs, Sabrina made up her mind. She had to do it now – she couldn't risk any more accidents. When Jake was distracted, she had snuck into his room and took his knife – the same knife he would use for work when receiving shipments off of fishing boats.

"Jake…" Sabrina said that evening while they were in his room, looking for any kind of answers on the internet.

"Yes?"

"Let's go for a walk."

"A walk?" Jake looked at her strangely. "I mean, I don't mind, but it's a little bit late."

"I want to see the sun go down…" Sabrina stood up and forced a smile to her face. "Besides, I want to tell you something."

"...Okay, I suppose." Jake shrugged, standing up as well.

The duo were silent as Sabrina led him out of his house on a lone hill just outside of St. Ives. She trailed down the usual twisting path, walking for a while until she came across the top of a tall cliff. The last rays of sunlight lit up the rocks far down below, poking out of the water. The wind was forcing waves to crash and spin around these rocks.

"Careful," Jake warned as Sabrina stood at the edge of the cliff, allowing the wind to catch her body.

"It's okay…" Sabrina said, looking at the sun. She reached out towards Jake. "Come here."

Jake just nodded and walked up in front of Sabrina, glancing down the cliff to make sure his feet were in a safe position. "What's gotten into you?" When Sabrina didn't reply, Jake put a hand on her shoulder. "…You said… You wanted to tell me something?"

"I did…" Sabrina took a deep breath. "You said it so easily back then but I… I have a harder time to say those simple words." Jake kept his mouth shut, letting Sabrina say what she needed to say in her own time. "But I'm worried that if I don't say it then it will be too late. Jake Conway, I… I…"

"It's okay," Jake said softly as she hesitated. He got closer, smiling warmly. "You don't have to force yourself."

"No, I need to say it," Sabrina gathered her breath again. "I love you, Jake." With the words out, Sabrina felt relief spread over her shoulders. "…And I'm sorry." Before she let Jake reply to that, she leant forward and kissed him deeply on the lips. Jake was surprised at first, but happily received the kiss, pulling her close with his arms around her back.

Sabrina kept her eyes open as they kissed, looking into Jason's. When they widened suddenly, Jake pushed Sabrina backwards, looking down at his stomach in shock. Blood was already welling up through his thin t-shirt, staining the material crimson. He looked from the wound to the bloodied knife in Sabrina's hand. Jake's mouth opened and closed but he was unable to say a single word.

"…I'm really sorry…" Sabrina repeated, feeling the tears on her cheek. She dropped the knife to the grass and pushed both hands against Jake's chest. It was a light shove, but it was all that was needed. Jake fell back into the air, his body twisting in the wind.

Sabrina didn't look as she heard the _crunch_ and then the _splash_. She could only drop to her knees, picking the bloody knife back up and clutching it to her chest. "I… I had to do what I needed to do… I had to… I… I want to survive… I want to live… I… I'm sorry…"


	24. Weakness

**Chapter Twenty**

 **Weakness**

"It's surprisingly relaxing up here." Ruby sat with her back against a bare concrete wall, her legs spread out in front of her. Sabrina sat to her side, quiet but a whole lot more calm than she had been. Her right leg was stretched out in front of her to stave off the old pain. "I would never have thought a construction site could be as peaceful as this, y'know?"

Sabrina didn't reply but Ruby wasn't looking for an answer. She was just enjoying the simplicity of it all. With the faint breeze on her face and Sabrina by her side, Ruby felt like she could ignore the encroaching fear in the pit of her stomach.

The duo remained like this for what seemed like a long while. Certainly long enough for the sun to start lowering in the horizon.

When Sabrina broke the silence, her voice was soft. "I'm sorry."

Ruby just smiled at her friend. "It's okay. We all need to run from our problems sometimes, right?"

"Not just for that," Sabrina said, her eyes gently closing. "For everything. For not telling you the truth. For getting you involved in this." Sabrina grew silent, her words hanging in the air.

"To be honest, if you were in trouble I would have gotten involved either way," Ruby said. "I may not have believed what was happening but I'll always be there to help you out."

"You don't need to help me out."

"I disagree," Ruby gently tapped Sabrina's arm with her fist. "We're friends, aren't we?"

Sabrina sighed. A long, weary sigh. "I don't deserve a friend like you."

"Friendship isn't about who deserves who, Sabrina. It's just a natural event, something that blossoms with continuous contact. Our friendship is something that we developed overtime."

Sabrina could only look into Ruby's bright but surprisingly deep eyes. How could she be like this, in the face of death itself? Sabrina couldn't help but think Ruby was the strongest person she had ever met.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Ruby asked after Sabrina kept looking into her eyes with that peculiar expression on her face.

"W-What way?" A faint blush grew to Sabrina's cheeks, something which Ruby didn't fail to notice. A troubling smile came to her lips.

"You look cute when you blush."

"I'm not blushing." Sabrina's denial only fuelled the redness in her cheeks.

"Hahah! What do you call that then?" Ruby playfully placed her palm against Sabrina's cheek. However, upon physical contact, both of them grew still and quiet. They could only look at each other with wide eyes as if they were having an unheard conversation with just their eye contact.

Sabrina was the first to move, gently pulling Ruby's hand away from her face with delicacy. She slowly stood up and stood at an opening in the tarp, staring over the roofs spreading like a spider's web outwards. "This is why I hurt so much." As she spoke, Sabrina put a hand over her heart. "I… knew a man once. His name was Jake."

"You don't have to-" Ruby interjected but Sabrina held her hand up to stop Ruby.

"This wasn't too long since the Ferret Inn. He… Honestly, he was a great man. He was the son of a fisherman who coached martial arts in his spare time. He resented that, though. Jake preferred a more… brawling way of fighting. He said it helped him to relieve stress but he never had a good partner. He had helped me so I thought I'd help him. That's why I'm not afraid to fight." Sabrina let a quiet moment pass no doubt thinking back to her time with Jake.

"As I was the only person who escaped from the Ferret Inn, death was constantly around the corner. The only reason I'm alive right now is because of Jake. The amount of times he saved me from freak accidents… I can't even count." A faint smile grew on Sabrina's face. "I eventually told him the reason for my bad luck and you know what? He understood. He didn't laugh. He didn't call me crazy. Jake just accepted it at face value.

"I think that was the moment I really fell in love with him." After this statement Sabrina grew quiet, her words barely audible. "Then I betrayed everything. I betrayed his trust. The sun was going down, just like tonight. I remember clearly. I had gone to the beach I met him on by myself. Just to think, you know? Could I keep putting the man I loved in danger? Could I be bothered to keep trying to survive? It was hard to survive, Ruby, it really was.

"The oceans spoke to me that night. They sounded so… real. Their words festered in my heart." At this, Sabrina's words caught in her throat.

"What did they say?" Ruby prompted after a while of silence.

"They told me… that… that if I wanted to survive…" Sabrina had to force the words out. "That a sacrifice could stop it." The dam broke and the words came flooding out. "If I killed somebody I loved then I would be free of the shackles of death binding me." Fresh tears ran down Sabrina's cheeks as she looked at Ruby. "That's why I'm here now. That's why I'm alive. I wanted to live!"

While Sabrina never explicitly said the words, the implication behind them was clear. Ruby couldn't say a word to this. Sabrina turned around with her back to the open air, spreading her arms out wide taking in the breeze that ran across her back and rustled her hair. "Is that so wrong? To want to survive?" Her tears glistened like tiny crystals. "I loved Jake. But in the end I chose my life over his. I want to live, Ruby, and that's why I did what I did. That's why I hid information from you. Because if I told you about the visions and about people dying, then you would no doubt want to help. And that would mean I would have to go with you and that would put us both in danger."

Sabrina stepped forward towards Ruby. "…And now… Now it's happening all over again… and the worst part is… the worst part is that I know what I need to do to survive. And I'm forced to answer that question again. My life or the life of the one I love?" Sabrina shook her head. "…I know the answer Ruby… I know… I know what I will do. That's why I ran here. That's why I didn't want you to chase me." Sabrina stood in front of Ruby. "…I'm weak, Ruby."

"Christ, your sappiness hurts my ears," a harsh voice broke the atmosphere. Ruby and Sabrina looked to the open stairway where Bridge stood, supported by Lily. Bridge didn't seem to be in good condition, the left side of his face sweating as the right side glistened. Nevertheless, his voice remained strong. "Though it's good to know just what you're willing to do. Ruthless. I like it." Bridge pulled away from Lily and limped towards Sabrina. "Is that the only answer, though? You need to kill the one you love?"

Sabrina grit her teeth, annoyed that Bridge and Lily had found them. "…As far as I know. I was the only survivor, so perhaps this time others who love each other could do it." Sabrina mused her own statement for a moment and something shone in her eyes. She looked to Lily. "You-"

"Don't!" Lily interrupted with absolute venom in her voice. It was clear she knew what Sabrina was going to say and wasn't going to have any of it.

"You know, I was never a fan of Shakespeare," Ruby suddenly said, her voice cutting through the tension between Lily and Sabrina. They looked to her, confused. Why talk of a subject like that now? "So many of his plays involved love, and so many of them ended up with one or the both of them dead by the end. It may not seem like it but I'm a great fan of fairy tales instead. Happily ever after and all of that." She looked with conviction at Sabrina. "I believe there is another way. I don't think we need to take a human life to save the rest."

"…Ruby…"

"…Come on, maybe you misheard that voice you heard." Ruby insisted. "Maybe it meant some _thing_ you love, not necessarily some _one_ you love."

"Please…"

"Why aren't you looking for solutions!?" Ruby cried out, running a hand through her bright hair. "Why do you submit to one answer and stick to it?!" She stepped in front of Sabrina, allowing her feelings to spill out of her. "The Sabrina I knew wasn't a coward! Surely there is another way? Surely someone… somewhere knows answers. Eugene Hawk sounded like he knew something about all of this."

"I told you before, Ruby, I can't-"

"Don't be so damn selfish!" Ruby retorted, face red – though with anger or sadness she wasn't sure. "I hear your story and I know you're broken up about what to do. I understand that choosing between yourself and somebody you love is a terrible decision. It is primal desire to want to live. But if it hurts you that badly, if it tears you up inside, why won't you seek out answers, even if those answers come from the undesirable?! You may not like Eugene Hawk, you may despise the man, but if he holds answers that means we can all survive this – _all of us_ – then surely, surely it's worth it?"

Sabrina took a deep breath. "…I can't because… because if it turns out there is another way. Then what I did to Jake… How can I be excused for doing that?"

"How can you be excused either way?" Lily spoke up, that venom still in her voice.

Before Sabrina could respond to this, a fifth voice suddenly interjected itself within the conversation. "I've heard enough!"

Meagan Thompson stood at the top of the stairs, maliciousness oozing out of her. She was holding something in her right hand and upon lifting it, they realised it was a pistol. Meagan smiled grimly. "I found this in that club. The one you people abandoned. The one where you killed that poor boy. Perhaps it was fate?"

"I think you ought to put that down before you hurt someone," Bridge said, seemingly without any worry for the firearm.

"I think you ought to shut the hell up!" Meagan retorted, her pistol trained with a shaky hand at Sabrina. "I knew it… Eugene Hawk told me about how you were a murderer but I wasn't too sure. But hearing you now fully confirms it. You're a coward who would put your own life in front of others without any regard for the consequences."

Sabrina was silent but this seemed to infuriate Meagan all the more.

"You don't even have the decency to defend yourself!? Trent died because of you! He… He is gone and that…" Meagan swallowed her grief, the pistol shook but still didn't waver from Sabrina's direction. "You know what I hate, Sabrina Holland? I hate that during that lovely heartfelt speech of yours, you still kept things from her!"

"I'm not keeping anything from Ruby, not anymore." Sabrina defended herself with narrowed eyes.

"Oh?" Meagan couldn't help but let out a sharp laugh. "Want to know something funny? You're not the only one who had these 'visions'."

Sabrina's eyes narrowed further at this statement.

"Yeah… I saw the clues that you saw. I didn't know what to make of them because I don't know what's going on with them. You… You did know. That's why Trent's death is on your hands. And that boy. And everyone else. And guess what, Sabrina. When I was on those stairs, following these two-" She gestured to the silent Bridge and Lily. "I got another vision."

Ruby looked to Sabrina. "…Sabrina?"

"…Hah… I saw books, lots of them. I saw a wet window. I saw a broken ladder. And you know what? You saw it too, didn't you Sabrina? Even now… Even now you're content to put your life in front of others."

"…Is that true?" Ruby asked, hoping against hope that Meagan was wrong.

"She's right." Sabrina said without hesitation. "There was no point in telling you, Ruby. I know – I know you don't want to hear that but…" This time Sabrina swallowed her words.

"Go on! Say it!" Meagan insisted. "I already know what you were up here to do. It's obvious, really."

"…I can make a guess…" Ruby said quietly. "…Killing the one you love… To stop it all. To survive. I can understand that… I can."

"She was going to kill you! How can you just accept that?! That vision I saw, I don't know who it was for. But I don't see any books around here, do you? I don't see any glass windows. My vision at Epsilon ended in darkness and noises. Even… even then… even within that… Trent saved me…" Meagan rubbed her eyes viciously with her free hand. "…But I didn't see anything after that! You know what happened in that vision, don't you!? You know whose next!"

"…The only one of us who isn't here…" Sabrina said bitterly. "…I suspect that he's already dead. After all, he doesn't know a thing about any of this. Ignorance is bliss, I suppose."

Meagan just shook her head. "Just another murder… Just another one to add to your list…" Meagan's hand tensed on the handle of the pistol. "I'm going to make sure you don't kill anybody else!"


	25. Focus

**Chapter Twenty-One**

 **Focus**

Jason didn't know how much time had passed in the library. He had gotten in depth with his research on the DSI and found a few interesting tidbits in the depths of the internet. There was an intriguing forum thread that had been shut down. Using a website that let you see old version of webpages, he found that it only had two posts. The first had peculiar contents:

 _You'll never believe what happened to me today! I had a vision, just like the ones we were talking about. I saw it all, clearly. It was absolutely incredible. Like I was taking drugs or something, man. I don't wanna post the deets on here, so PM me for them._

The next response was short and concise:

 _If you're not careful, the DSI will be on your ass. I'd shut this thread down quick before they see._

Jason also found that online newspaper archives were a good resource on finding a rare mention of the DSI. It had taken a while for his laptop to load up the results but he found a brief mention that described 'Men in dark suits who weren't the police. Perhaps they were the DSI?' Another article back in the early 2000's had a section that read:

 _The Myth of the DSI._

 _It's three letters that you don't hear particularly often. Because of this mystery, narrow-minded folks have decided to spread rumours that the DSI is some kind of secret organization. I have it on good faith that this is absolutely false. There is no hidden group puppeteering behind the scenes. I would suggest you give these foolish rumour-mongers no more fuel to light their fire with. The DSI are fiction and that's all you need to worry about._

He stretched and sat back in his chair. Strangely enough, all this research was relaxing. It was nice to have some kind of goal, even if that goal wasn't showing many answers. The DSI was some kind of group, Jason knew that much. They worked in the shadows. They had hardly any mention online. Jason cracked his knuckles and started tapping away back in the search engine. He had been trying out different phrases, trying to find any connections that he hadn't thought about.

It took him a few moments to realise that a shadow had fallen over his screen. He glanced up to see a woman standing tall in front of him, her arms crossed over her chest. She wore a navy suit; the top four buttons of the jacket were undone revealing a pale blue shirt. Instead of a skirt she wore a long pair of suit trousers with a pair of shiny shoes to complete the ensemble. Her long auburn hair was brushed into curls that made her look very retro.

"You seem to be doing some intense research," the woman said with a voice that exuded strength and confidence.

Jason wasn't exactly sure how to reply to this smart-looking woman. "It's for… school."

"School?" Her white teeth showed under those bright red lips of hers. "It's a strange school to have the DSI as a subject, don't you think?"

He froze. Had she been looking over his shoulder or something? No, he would have noticed that. How could she know that he had been researching the DSI? The thread came to mind, with the message warning that the DSI might find out about the forum post. Could this be the same thing?

"I'm impressed how much you found out. It always was hard to scrub all the information. Some things tend to slip through the cracks." The woman gently put her hand on the top of his laptop and pressed it down. Her aura seemed to push Jason into his chair, stopping him from moving. She hooked the laptop and hoisted it in her arm. "I'll be taking this."

Jason gulped and took a look around the room as if searching for help. He noticed that the people in the room had switched from the ones who had been in the room previously. None of them made eye contact.

"Sweetie, they aren't going to help you," the woman smiled. "They've been my eyes ever since you first typed those three letters. We get an alert if anyone searches for those letters. I sent out my eyes to see if it is a false alarm or perhaps something a little bit more serious. As it is, I believe that we need to talk." She offered her hand towards Jason. "Come with me. We'll have a little chat, okay?"

"…N-No." It took a surprising amount of effort just to say those words. Jason took a breath and repeated the word, more firmly. "No. You have no right to do that."

"Jason Ryan." The words rang across the woman's lips like some kind of musical note. "We can do as we please. You will either come with me willingly or I will force you. Either way, we'll have a talk. I'd suggest you take the easy option, yes?"

Jason forced his body to move and stood up. He stood his full height, trying to use his size advantage to perhaps make the woman a little bit nervous. He had no clue whether the DSI were good or bad but if Eugene Hawk and Harold Kelly were any indication, they weren't good news. "Why do you keep to the shadows like this?"

"We'll talk elsewhere, Jason. The walls have ears."

"How do you know my name, anyway?"

"We know a whole lot. Jason Ryan. Born 1995. A Canadian citizen who had a girlfriend named Maylene Delroy. A girlfriend who, so you claimed, killed herself."

" _Claimed_?" This struck an angry chord with Jason that seemed to come from nowhere.

"We know the truth, don't bother getting all upset about it." The woman put her hands out. "But once more, we'll talk elsewhere. I'll answer all your questions and you'll answer all of mine. Deal?"

"I don't want to go with you."

"Ha..." The woman sighed, clicking her tongue lightly. "You don't seem to understand how this works. I—" The woman's words were suddenly lost as she closed her mouth, narrowing her eyes. She put a finger to her ear and Jason caught sight of some kind of cord running down under her hair to disappear under her collar. "The Oracle has spoken? Are you sure it's him? Well that's just dandy. How soon?" Whatever the woman heard on the other side made her eyes widen. She took a glance at her watch that was hidden under her left sleeve. "Why did you wait this—"

There was a sudden crash and a yell of pain from above Jason on the balcony. He looked up and could see the man who had been washing the windows still on his ladder, though was flailing his arms wildly. The ladder tilted backwards and the man grabbed the top of the bookcase under the window he was cleaning. However, the momentum of both the ladder and the man caused the bookshelf to tilt.

"Shit, shit, shit!" The man managed to leap off the ladder to the side as the bookcase came crashing down onto the balcony's rail. Books were thrown all across the floor, some of them sliding under the railing and dropping down by Jason and the woman's feet. For a moment there was silence as the large bookcase rested on the railing, which seemed to be struggling against the weight of it.

Then the railing lost the fight and it bent outwards, spilling the bookcase down – directly towards Jason. Jason could only watch in shock, his body frozen. It had all happened within a couple of seconds.

"Move, you idiot!" The woman's voice rang out, her hand grabbing his collar. She pulled hard and Jason found himself tugged forwards off the chair. The bookcase came down hard and Jason cried out in pain, tumbling to the floor. A white hot sting ran up his leg but Jason had his eyes closed, unwilling to take a look at what had just happened. If the pain was any indication, it wasn't good. "Jesus Christ… Get someone down here!" The woman called off somewhere before Jason felt her hands on his shoulders. Her grip was surprisingly strong. "Jason. Open your eyes for me, okay? _Don't_ panic."

The woman's voice was calm but firm. Something about it made Jason want to listen. He gently opened his eyes to find himself face to face with the woman. Then he glanced down to his leg and almost found himself wanting to throw up. The bookcase had crushed his knee and he could see his foot pointed the completely wrong direction poking out of the bookcase's corner. Seeing his foot twisted this way made the pain seem to multiply by ten.

"Hey!" The woman suddenly slapped Jason, causing him to blink wildly. "You let that pain get to you and you are going to lose consciousness, which is not what you want. I need you to focus on me."

Jason felt something warm under his leg and he watched as a small pool of blood started spreading from somewhere under the bookcase's corner.

 _"You did this! You killed me!"_

 _"It wasn't my fault!"_

The words flashed through Jason's brain and he immediately clutched at his head, gritting his teeth. Flashes of Maylene's corpse hanging from the roof pierced him.

" _…Jason?! What are you doing!?"_

Then something different, something Jason hadn't seen before. It was Maylene lying underneath him, her eyes bulging outwards. And… and his hands were holding onto a sheet tied into a rope, wrapping tight around her neck. She was croaking, making a horrible sound. But Jason only pulled the makeshift rope tighter, feeling his face transform in disgust.

" _…You whore! You slut! You want to cheat on me? Huh?!"_

The voice was his but also wasn't his. Jason had never heard himself sound like that.

" _You want to cut me!?"_

He could feel the warm gash on his cheek dripping blood and saw the bright droplets splash next to Maylene's twisted face.

"No, no, no, no, no…" Jason could feel himself back in the library as well as back in his room with Maylene. He couldn't feel the pain in his leg anymore but he still clutched at his head. "It wasn't me… it was you… you killed yourself, I didn't do it!"

"Jason! Snap out of it!"

"I didn't want to! You made me!"

"Listen to me Jason. Focus!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"JASON!" Another sharp slap across the face caused Jason to open his eyes wide, focusing on the woman. "Good. I told you not to panic. Do not think about anything other than me, okay?" The woman's face still held that calm expression. It was relaxing just to look at. The events of Maylene seemed miles away. "Good. I need you to stay awake until we can get you some help."

"…Help. You don't deserve help." Jason heard that voice and felt his skin crawl. He looked past the woman's shoulders to see Maylene standing there. Her face was one of disgust. "You don't deserve to live, Jason. Not for what you did to me."

"Ignore her, Jason!" The woman said, hitting Jason with a third sharp slap. "Don't look at Maylene. Focus on me." Jason kept glancing at Maylene but the woman finally grasped his jaw with her slim fingers and forced him to look at her. "That's it. That's it, don't look at her. Keep control. Keep control!"

* * *

" _I'm not keeping anything from Ruby, not anymore."_

On the outskirts of the construction site, Eugene Hawk and Harold Kelly sat in an inconspicuous brown van, listening to crackling audio. Eugene had a small grin playing on his face while Harold was as quiet as usual save for the faint chewing of his gum.

" _Oh?"_ They heard a sharp laugh. " _Want to know something funny? You're not the only one who had these 'visions'._ "

"She's doing a good job," Eugene said as they listened to Meagan confront Sabrina. "Sabrina is nearly there."

"You think she'll admit it?" Harold questioned his partner.

"She'll get close enough. Once I get that audio, I can prove that whatever happens to her is well deserved."

" _Even now… Even now you're content to put your life in front of others."_

 _"…Is that true?"_

 _"She's right."_ Eugene perked up at these words, leaning in closer to the speakers. His grin was turning into something wild. " _There was no point in telling you, Ruby. I know – I know you don't want to hear that but…"_

 _"Go on! Say it! I already know what you were up here to do. It's obvious, really."_

"Come on, come on," Eugene said as the voices continued to speak through the van. "Nearly there, nearly there."

" _She was going to kill you! How can you just accept that?! That vision I saw, I don't know who it was for. But I don't see any books around here, do you? I don't see any windows. My vision at Epsilon ended in darkness and noises. Even… even then… even within that… Trent saved me…"_ There was a sniffle.

"Yes… yes, coax it out her," Eugene urged her on.

" _…But I didn't see anything after that! You know what happened in that vision, don't you!? You know whose next!"_

 _"…The only one of us who isn't here…"_ Something that seemed like relief passed over Eugene's face. " _…I suspect that he's already dead. After all, he doesn't know a thing about any of this. Ignorance is bliss, I suppose."_

"That's it…" Eugene breathed. "That's it… Hahaha… Sabrina… I finally heard you say it. Finally. Abigail, I did it! I got her confession!" Eugene was laughing now, leaning back in his chair. "She's done now! I won't let that killer get away for what she did to you. Abigail…" There were actually tears in the corners of Eugene's eyes as he smiled victoriously. "…We did it."

 _BANG!_

The sound over the radio caused Eugene to look at the speakers. It was clearly a gunshot. He quickly turned the speakers off and stood up. "That's all I needed. We're done here, Harold."

"We're done?" Harold raised an eyebrow. "What about them?"

"What about them!? I haven't a care in the world for them. Sabrina's dead. That's all I need to know. Let Death deal with them now." Eugene opened the back of the van and stood out in the breeze. "We need to get going if we want to avoid the DSI. I don't need Lisa coming after me." He looked over the construction site and looked to the very top. He could imagine Sabrina lying flat on her back, blood oozing out from under her, and it pleased him. "You can drive."

"…Hawk." The deep voice of Harold seemed slightly different. Eugene glanced at him.

"What's wrong?"

Harold just nodded towards the large yellow crane extending above the construction site. It seemed to be at a slightly different angle than it had been when the two of them had arrived, following the bug they had given Meagan.

Then they heard it.

A low moaning that seemed to float across the wind. Then the crane tilted further. Eugene and Harold could see the supports at the bottom of the crane slowly pulling themselves up off the floor.

Eugene grinned. "See? Death will have its way."

The crane finally snapped free of its moorings, plunging directly towards the walls of the construction site.


	26. Love

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

 **Love**

When Meagan pulled down on the trigger of her pistol, Sabrina could only shut her eyes to wait for the inevitable. Perhaps she deserved this fate, after everything that had happened? She was not prepared for a physical force to barrel into her side, sending her sprawling. Sabrina caught a glimpse of Ruby before the loud _bang_ echoed around the half-constructed room.

Ruby instantly clutched at her shoulder, falling down in pain, red blossoming out from under her fingers. "Ruby!" Sabrina quickly crawled over to her friend and saw that the wound wasn't as serious as it could have been. She turned to Meagan, anger written all over her face, but Meagan was pale. It seemed she wasn't as prepared as she thought to shoot someone. Her hand shook violently until the pistol dropped to the floor with a clatter.

"I'm fine," Ruby said in pain, holding her hand onto the wound.

"…I didn't want you to get hurt…" Sabrina closed her eyes as regret seeped into her face.

"Hey, don't be like that-" Ruby tried to say but her voice was quiet, her face already going pale due to shock. The bullet hadn't exited and had settled somewhere inside her shoulder.

"…Look what you've done," Sabrina turned to Meagan. "Is this suitable revenge for what you believe I did to your friend?"

"I-I wasn't aiming for her…" Meagan's voice came out even quieter than Ruby's. Her eyes shone with almost childlike shame. Any and all ferociousness was gone from Meagan's body.

Sabrina just snorted and moved back to Ruby, pressing her hand over Ruby's own. Meagan could only step backwards, leaning against the wall. The tension in the room seemed to drain out to be replaced with exhaustion.

"So what now?" Lily asked, adjusting her grip on Bridge's arm. The tall man didn't look particularly good. The sweat was beading on his forehead now, dripping down his cheeks. He was reluctant to show any kind of pain in front of these strangers but his head was pounding so hard that it was hard not to.

There was no answer to Lily's question except for a strange moaning sound. The sound grew louder until it occupied the whole floor. The five survivors looked around in confusion, unable to figure out just what that sound was.

When the crane hit, no one was prepared for it. The massive yellow metal structure crashed into the roof with an almighty _boom_ ¸ wrenching itself through the half-built structure with ease. Everything shook as the crane took out the roof and continued without pause to the floor. As it hit the concrete flooring, it tore through effortlessly. Sabrina was forced to pull Ruby away, falling painfully just as the metal nearly slammed itself into Ruby's chest.

The floor bent underneath them and the duo were sent rolling down. Sabrina managed to reach up and grab a handhold of broken stone, keeping a tight hold on Ruby's own hand, forcing her to stop falling even if it did wrench the already injured arm.

Lily had pushed Bridge against the wall, watching the floor fall away from them. The crane smashed its way through the two floors below before finally landing in a great cloud of dust. Meagan could only keep herself in the corner of the room, cracks spread through the piece of floor in front of her.

"Ruby!" Sabrina said through gritted teeth, straining her muscles to keep both herself and Ruby safe. "Pull yourself up!"

"It hurts!" Ruby cried out, blood running down her shoulder with a few errant drops splashing against her face. However, she did attempt to grab at Sabrina's leg, getting a good handhold of fabric. Sabrina forced herself to ignore the pain as Ruby took hold, the old injury flaring up. Then the floor jutted downwards, sending jolts through Sabrina's hands as the concrete crashed onto her fingers. She cried out in pain but still managed to retain her hold – even if her fingers were between two solid pieces of stone. Ruby managed to get up onto Sabrina's front, using her shirt as a handhold.

"Get onto the side – near the wall!" Sabrina said, pulling as hard as she could with the hand holding Ruby's own.

Ruby could only nod but the floor jutted again, the angle getting sharper. This time Ruby lost her grip of Sabrina and slipped down.

"RUBY!" Sabrina cried out, watching her friend's eyes widen as her grip was lost. Ruby's fingernails scraped against the last remnants of the stone floor before she met open air. They looked at each other as time seemed to freeze. Then Ruby fell through the hole that the crane had torn through the construction site. For a single moment, Ruby looked as graceful as a high diver before her back slammed hard against the floor below. Her body jolted and she bounced off the stone, falling further down into the dust cloud below, lost from Sabrina's sight.

"…Ruby…" Sabrina's voice cracked as she said the name. The building seemed to be lightly shaking but Sabrina barely noticed. Her crushed fingers were nothing but a dull pain. All she could do was stare down into the hole Ruby had fallen into. Tears welled up into the corners of her eyes. "…This… What have I… I done…"

The building shook like an earthquake was hitting it. Sabrina numbly watched Lily stumble with the weight of Bridge. She had surprisingly good leg strength as she retained balance, using her free hand against the wall to keep upright. But the whole building was teetering on broken foundations. Sabrina turned her head to find Meagan had collapsed in the corner, her knees drawn up to her chin. Seeing her, Sabrina felt a white hot stab of anger run through her head.

This was all her fault.

Then the building finally gave way.

* * *

Sabrina woke coughing, trying to get the dust out of her lungs. For a moment she stared straight above her at the twisted stone and metal of the construction rose up. Then she remembered Ruby and immediately pushed herself up to a stand. As her left hand brushed against the floor Sabrina took a sharp intake of breath. She looked at the hand and saw her fingers were mangled horribly, the skin shorn off and the fingers bent in the complete wrong directions. It was a horrifying sight and Sabrina forced herself to look away from the terrible wound.

Another set of coughing forced Sabrina's attention. Meagan was lying down, a large piece of concrete pinning her legs to the floor. She had obviously hit her head judging by the thin stream of blood zig-zagging its way down her face. Nevertheless she was moving and coughing. Sabrina limped over to the fallen woman and just stood over her. Meagan looked up at Sabrina with a pained expression.

"…Why did this have to happen?" Meagan asked, her voice strained from the dust.

"That's just the way it works." Sabrina replied, her voice surprisingly calm.

"Hah… The way it works…" Meagan just shook her head. "It's my fault. I thought… I thought that you killed Trent. I mean… perhaps some of the blame lies with you but… but what could I expect?" As pain lanced through her legs Meagan winced. "But… But I'm also to blame." She put a hand over her eyes, hiding the tears from Sabrina. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry for what I did. I just… I lost control. I let Hawk persuade me… Now look at where it has gotten me…" She sniffed and pulled her hand away, looking up to Sabrina. "You saw it too? Right? That's why you woke up?"

"I saw," Sabrina replied. It was true; she had woken up because she had seen a series of images. A cloud of dust that no doubt represented the bottom of the construction site. A sign reading the site of the construction, which could only represent the twisted sign in the corner of the area Sabrina and Meagan were in. The section was completely surrounded by fallen stone. The last image was that of darkness. Judging from the large panel of concrete wobbling above them it represented the fact that it was going to fall and trap Sabrina within a tomb of broken concrete.

"I can help you… I _want_ to help you… I need… I need to atone for what I've done…" Meagan's eyes clearly showed her regret. "Please. We can still make it out of this alive."

Sabrina only sighed and kneeled down next to Meagan. "We're not making it out of this alive."

"Don't be—"

" _I'm_ making it out of this alive!" With that terrifying exclamation, Sabrina wrapped her good hand about Meagan's neck. Meagan's eyes widened but Sabrina was already squeezing too tight to make any sound. Her hands scratched at Sabrina's face but Sabrina let the nails tear into her skin as she squeezed tighter and tighter. One nail tore deep, taking a chunk of flesh but Sabrina wouldn't let up. She squeezed and she squeezed until Meagan's hands grew limp and fell to the side.

Sabrina continued to squeeze and stare into Meagan's bloodshot eyes, long after the light had gone out of them. Then something grabbed her shoulders and a surprising strength threw her backwards. Sabrina landed painfully and looked up to see Lily standing above her, looking worse for wear. One arm hung limply and her right eye was closed and covered in blood. Nevertheless her expression was resolute. She must have crawled through one of the small gaps that only a person her size could get through. "What have you done?"

Sabrina breathed in and out slowly. "She deserved her fate."

"No one deserves that fate," Lily said carefully, fully aware of Sabrina's state of mind. "No one deserves to die like this."

"Heh…" Sabrina shook her head. "That's how the world works, Lily. People die. We can't do anything about it."

"You're wrong!" Lily said firmly, stepping forward. "We can save people. I saved Bridge back at the beginning. I saved his life."

"His turn will only come around again," Sabrina said. "You should count yourself lucky, you know."

"How's that?" Lily said, clutching at her arm.

"You managed to somehow survive without being put on the list. In the vision… at the Concert Hall… you sacrificed your life to save Bridge's. It should have been you to be the first one targeted but instead it was Bridge. Maybe Death has some kind of heart after all." Sabrina looked at Lily. "Why did you even get involved? You were never a part of this."

"Bridge was a part of this. That means I am too." Lily said firmly.

"Ah yes, your ridiculous attachment to him…"

" _Excuse_ me?" Lily was clearly insulted by Sabrina's tone.

"You love him, sure. Anyone can clearly see that. But he doesn't exactly reciprocate the feelings."

"Love?" Lily shook her head. "It's not that simple. Bridge and I share a connection that you couldn't possibly comprehend." She gritted her teeth and offered her hand. "But I am not down here to receive or give a lecture. I'm here to help you." Lily looked to Meagan, her face grim. "I can't ignore what you've done. But I believe in saving people. I believe in making sure people don't die without cause. That includes you, believe it or not."

"What about at that club?" Sabrina asked suddenly. "You stabbed that man with those scissors. And that blood all over you." She looked at Lily's clothes. "The people that went up there… I'm guessing they aren't fine."

"I did that for Bridge," Lily said firmly.

"Exactly!" Sabrina exclaimed. "Then you know what I'm feeling, you know why I do what I do. Lily… What would you do for Bridge? Would you go to the end of the world for him? Would you delve into the very depths of Hell itself?! You do what you do because you love him – or you have that connection with him – whatever it is, it makes you want to do whatever you can for him, no matter what he feels about you."

"But this—" Lily gestured to Meagan. "This is what separates you from me. I protected Bridge at the club, I acted in self-defence but what is your excuse for this, Sabrina? She didn't look like she was going to attack you. She wanted to _help_ you." Lily sighed. "And against my better judgement, _I_ want to help you. I will help you find Ruby… Okay?" Once again Lily offered her hand.

Sabrina's eyebrows furrowed in thought. Finally she grasped Lily's hand. "Fine. Let's get out of here and then we can deal with what comes next. But I need to find Ruby before anything else. I… I owe her that much."

"I understand that. I do. But _that_ does not look safe," Lily motioned to the large piece of stone above them. "Follow me. There's a hole that you should be able to squeeze through. It's how I got in."

Sabrina followed Lily as she led her under a large metal rebar. Underneath was a gap that Lily managed to get through with barely any difficulty. Sabrina was slightly taller and was forced to crouch through, her arm pulsing painfully as her injured hand scraped across stone. They got out to the other side and straightened up. The crane's fallen frame was in front of them, jutting out from the rubble of the building. Lily looked around while Sabrina spotted something by her feet. "I'm looking for Bridge just like you're looking for Ruby." She frowned. "I hope he's okay."

"I'm sure he's fine. Death doesn't kill those who are further up the list. Though by getting me out of there, you've skipped me. That means it will be his turn next." As Sabrina spoke she reached down and grabbed the long slender object with her good hand.

"I guessed as much," Lily said. "That's another reason why I decided to help you. You'll have a vision, won't you? A set of clues?" Lily turned with determination in her eyes. "That will help me save—" Lily couldn't finish her sentence as Sabrina struck out with the object she had picked up from the floor. It was a thin piece of iron rebar that had come from the foundations. The ribbed metal caught Lily just above the eye socket and tore open the skin. Lily stumbled back in shock, clutching at her head. "W-What-? I just helped—"

Sabrina swung again without a word, catching Lily in the forehead. Lily fell to the floor in shock, blood seeping out of the wound in her head. Sabrina stood over the lithe girl with the rebar in her hand. "Bridge can die in whatever hole he has found himself in. You've seen what I've done and I can't allow that." Sabrina swung again at Lily's head. A sickening _crunch_ sounded from the contact.

Despite the force of Sabrina's swing, Lily managed to lift her head, showing the trauma that Sabrina's blow had done her. Her expression was resolute however, as she stared with half a broken face at Sabrina. "...Coward..." Lily spat something that looked suspiciously like a tooth to the floor. Then she slowly turned away, looking somewhere in the distance. She uttered a word, her voice cracking as she spoke it. "...B-Bridge..." That word was filled with emotion - emotion enough to set anger in Sabrina's heart. She swung the rebar once more, catching Lily directly in the back of the head and driving her down to the floor.

"There will only be one survivor. Just like last time. Just like always." Sabrina swung again. "I will survive!" _Crunch_. "Always!" _Crunch_. "I will conquer death!" _Crunch_. "I won't let it beat me!"

 _Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!_

Sabrina swung again and again until her arm grew tired and even then she continued swinging until her palm bled. Finally the rebar fell from her bleeding fingertips and Sabrina stumbled backwards, turning her head to sky. "I will always survive! I am not weak! I will not fall!" After shouting out these words, Sabrina lowered her head, feeling the tears. "…Jake…" She bit her lip. "…Ruby…"

"…Sabrina?"

Sabrina froze. It couldn't be. Her head slowly turned to find a familiar form slumped against a broken pillar. Ruby looked worse for wear but she was alive. She was alive! Sabrina took a step towards her friend but stopped at Ruby's expression.

"…Lily… said that you might… do this…" Ruby choked the words out. Her legs were splayed out in front of her, unmoving. One hand was hidden behind her frame while the other rested on another piece of concrete. "I didn't believe her. Even after everything I've heard, I didn't believe her. But you… you just…" Ruby took a deep breath, forcing herself to not look at the bloody remnants. "You're constantly fighting your urge to survive, aren't you, Sabrina? It was the same with this Jake, wasn't it? You had to decide over your love and you urge for survival."

"Ruby…"

"It's the same now, isn't it?" Ruby's eyes were filled with grim determination. "You claimed you wanted… to protect me. But in the end, you always planned to kill me."

"I… I know the cost…" Sabrina said, taking another step forward. "But… but I don't want to die…"

"No-one wants to die," Ruby responded. "You think Lily wanted to… to die? And the others? Eddy and Trenton… Corey… None of them wanted to die, did they?"

"I thought it was over after Jake. I never thought that I would be caught in it again." Sabrina stepped forward once more. "I… I had no choice…"

"Tell me one thing…" Ruby said, her voice pained. "…Did you… Was your love pure? For me? Or did you love me as a… a backup plan, just in case?"

"…I can't imitate love, Ruby…" Sabrina was close enough to kneel in front of Ruby now. "I truly… truly loved you. _Love_ you."

Ruby smiled at this. "I'm glad… I'm glad those two years weren't false…" Ruby took a deep breath. "Come closer. I want to tell you something." Sabrina was hesitant but slowly moved her face close to Ruby until they could feel each other's ragged breaths on their faces.

"What is it?"

"…I love you too." With that, Ruby moved her lips forward and kissed Sabrina. It was a quick kiss but it was a kiss full of meaning. Ruby pulled away and sighed contentedly. "It's okay, Sabrina. I know you want to survive. …I can't feel my legs… and I'm hurting all over… so you can do it. You can make the choice to survive. I _want_ you too." Ruby closed her eyes. "Go on. You deserve to be free after everything you've been through."

Sabrina was silent, touching her lips with her fingers.

"You've still got that knife, haven't you? Use it. Can you do it quick, though? I don't much… desire lingering." Ruby squirmed in pain. "Please?"

Sabrina slowly reached into her jacket and pulled out the knife Ruby was talking about. It was the same knife she had gotten from the shed at their home. Sabrina looked at the blade thoughtfully. "You… Ruby… are so selfless. It's… amazing." Sabrina let out a croaked chuckle. "Jake… I never did anything wrong when I was with Jake. I hadn't acted on my vision but that was it. That was nothing. When I listened to that voice in order to survive… that was when I became… bad." Sabrina looked at Ruby and gently put her hand on Ruby's cheek. "I met you and… and I fell in love again. I wanted to protect you no matter what. I wanted to be with you for as long as I could. I thought that would be for a long time. Then the Epsilon incident happened and… and I did more bad things. I didn't want to act on the visions I had, I didn't want to place either of us in danger. I had to battle with that urge for survival again. But you… you continued to love me, even as I did all those bad things… even after… even after…" Sabrina listlessly glanced at Lily's broken form. "…This."

"…What you've done… is absolutely wrong… but…" Ruby still had her eyes clenched close. She didn't want to witness her own death. "…I… at least can guess at your struggles. I can understand _why_ , even if it's wrong. That's why… that's why I can still love you… but I love the you from before Epsilon… And after… after you do what you need to do, you need to become that woman again." Ruby finally opened her eyes, looking firmly at Sabrina's own. "You need to be the best Sabrina Holland you can be."

"…I can't do that…" Sabrina said quietly. "…because I won't be around to be that Sabrina Holland. She's too far gone to come back." Sabrina gently placed the knife in Ruby's own hand.

"What are you—?"

"You are a… very special person, Ruby. It's unbelievable that you've managed to overcome my sense of survival. That's… that's magical. It really is." Sabrina looked surprisingly calm. "I don't know if this will work but… but I hope it does. I hope that you can go on to enjoy your life, Ruby. Find a friend - someone you can really trust. Someone you can speak your soul to and someone who can be everything I wasn't. Someone who will stick with you through thick and th-thin..." Sabrina's voice cracked as she spoke. "Someone you can laugh with... and cry with... w-who'll enjoy the concerts you like and... and... will comfort you in times of despair... Who can do all the things I never did... Someone who is brave... and brilliant... and..." Sabrina swallowed her words.

"Sabrina, don't—"

"Ssh…" Sabrina held Ruby's hand tightly over the handle of the blade. "I had a choice, Ruby. Me or you. Survival or death. Last time I chose me, I chose survival and it corrupted me. This time… You're too good a person to go." It was Sabrina's turn to close her eyes. "I love you, Ruby Ascot."

With those fateful words, Sabrina pulled on Ruby's hand. The knife was sharp enough that it slid right into Sabrina's belly without resistance. Sabrina gasped – though whether in pain or relief she couldn't be sure. She pushed the knife all the way into the hilt to get close enough to Ruby to kiss her again.

This time the kiss lasted until Sabrina's breath stopped, her smile the last thing that would pass over her face, happy to have done what was necessary to ensure her love would survive.

* * *

 ** _A/N:- Phew, boy. One more chapter to go, guys - the Epilogue - and Encore will be finished. Keep your eyes peeled for that one and thank you for reading as always!_**


	27. A Sign Of Things To Come

**Epilogue**

 **A Sign Of Things To Come**

When Ruby had realised Sabrina was gone, it surprisingly felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She carefully held under Sabrina's armpits and moved her to a sitting position so the two woman sat side by side. The hilt of Sabrina's knife jutted out of her stomach but Ruby couldn't bring herself to pull it out. She supposed there wasn't a point anymore.

Sabrina's head slipped down, resting on Ruby's shoulder as if she were only sleeping. Ruby just sat there, holding onto Sabrina's cold hand and staring out at the darkening sky. She felt exhausted and beaten up, her body protesting every minor movement. Ruby could very barely feel her legs now but she could at least move everything else. The wound in her shoulder was pulsing dully. She knew that if she didn't get it treated soon, then infection would likely spread in. The bullet needed to be pulled out as well.

But all of that seemed second to Ruby. At this particular moment in time, she just wanted to sit here with Sabrina and take in the last sunset the two would have together.

"…What a mess we got into, huh?" Ruby found herself talking to Sabrina as if she could still hear her. "I would never have thought that any of this could have happened to me. I mean, I'm just a music fan… Hah…" Ruby smiled, watching the sky slowly turn orange. Then something seemed to come to her and she turned to look at Sabrina. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry that I couldn't help you more. I wasn't smart enough to realise what you were going through. I wasn't strong enough to help you when you really needed it." She gently stroked a strand of hair away from Sabrina's peaceful face. "Perhaps things would have been a whole lot different. Then again, there's not much point in thinking about what could have been. Ifs and buts and all of that.

"Still… It's nice to think about what could have been. I wonder who would have confessed first... I'd like to think it would be me. Maybe I'd take you for a walk on a night just like this, with the sun setting," Ruby's smile turned warm as she stroked Sabrina's hair. "I would have told you just what you meant to me. That you were strong and smart and everything that I wasn't. You may not have had much of a taste in music but we all have our weaknesses, don't we? We would sit on a bench and I would talk my heart out… I always did talk too much, didn't I?" Ruby's laugh was soft and echoed around the darkening ruin of the construction site.

"…I think you would have been the first to kiss me, though. I'd have been too scared and you would have done it just to stop me from talking. From there… who knows what the future would have held for us. It would have been a hard road but we would have been happy, wouldn't we?" Ruby looked to Sabrina as if she was expecting an answer. "Yes, we would have. Maybe eventually we'd both get good jobs and then invest in a house. Live together happily. Maybe get some pets… maybe even adopt. The world would have been ours for the taking." Ruby put her forehead against Sabrina's, her voice cracking as she spoke. "…No one would have been able to stop us…"

Ruby drew in a ragged breath, fresh tears welling in the corners of her eyes. "I'm… _so_ sorry that things happened like this, Sabrina. I'm sorry that Death got you involved again. I wish I could have given you the happiness you so truly deserved. I wish… I-I…" The words disappeared into hard chokes as Ruby's throat constricted. "…I wish you were alive… so… _so_ much. You did bad things… you did wrong things… but if you were alive I could forgive you. I _do_ forgive you."

Ruby drew in a shaky breath and pulled away from Sabrina, smiling bitterly as the tears ran freely down her cheeks. "Look at me. Always letting my emotions get the better of me. I was always so good at crying… even when I was a kid… Oh God, there's so much I never got to tell you, Sabrina. So many stories that I never got to say." Ruby's body started shaking as the thoughts started to overwhelm her. "I never told you about that time I accidentally kissed Jeff in Year Seven… or the fixation I had with time travelling when I was a kid… or how I would love to have learned how to cook… Christ… There's so much I want to say… why now, when it's too late?"

Ruby rubbed away her tears with her arm. "And what about you, Sabrina? You were always tight-lipped on your past and I respect that. But I wonder what you were like before the Ferret Inn. How was your school life? Did you have a lot of friends? Or were you the kind to keep a couple of close friends instead of lots of minor ones? I want to know everything, Sabrina. I want to know what made you happy, what made you sad, what made you angry. What did you do when you were frustrated? What did you do when you were happy? Were you the kind to laugh out loud and jump for joy? Or were you the kind to enjoy your successes in silent victory?"

The questions remained unanswered and Ruby could only sit back against the rubble, letting herself cry until she could cry no more. When the tears finally subsided, the sky had grown completely dark.

"I hope…" Ruby started speaking again, her voice hoarse. "I hope you are happy, Sabrina, wherever you are now. I hope you can speak to your parents again. Speak to Jake again. Because I know that they will forgive you. And one day, I'll meet you again and we can continue where we left off. We'll have all the time we need to ask each other questions, won't we? Yeah… Yeah we will. But I'm sorry to say that day will be a long time coming. You wanted me to live and I will do my damndest. I won't squander what you've done for me, Sabrina. I will live my life to the fullest and I will smile." Ruby said these words with conviction. "It will be hard. It will get overwhelming. But you'll be there by my side to support me, won't you? Whatever my future holds now… wherever I go from here… You'll be there."

Ruby finally noticed that something was strange. When her voice became silent she realised that there was no other noise. She couldn't hear the wind or the twittering of the birds that would have been going to sleep. When the sky started to grow lighter again, Ruby felt something heavy in her chest.

What was going on? The sun had already set but Ruby could clearly see the clouds high above, roiling around in tumultuous waves. But why were there such thick clouds? It had been a relatively clear day.

Then the clouds started spinning as if a cyclone had come down on London. But there was no wind to accompany the intense spinning of the clouds. Ruby found it hard to comprehend this whirlpool of clouds as a hole started opening within the confines of the sky.

The hole grew larger and larger until it was the size of multiple football pitches. Then a shape seemed to stitch itself together within that hole. It took Ruby a moment to realize that the image created was that of a skeleton with a large crack through the skull. This sent a chill right through Ruby's spine. This wasn't possible… what was happening? Was she having some kind of nightmare?

* * *

"Eugene…" Harold's voice took Eugene by surprise. The big man hardly ever called him by his first name. It was always 'Hawk' and had always been 'Hawk' throughout their whole partnership.

Eugene had been sitting in the back of the van while Harold took a break to relieve himself. He was still riding off the euphoria in hearing Sabrina's words of confirmation. At Harold's words, he called out from inside the van, "What's up?"

"…Come out here." Harold's voice was strange. Eugene narrowed his eyes and reached into his jacket to pull out his pistol. It was unlikely but perhaps the DSI had finally caught up to them and were holding Harold hostage?

"Are your knuckles aching?" Eugene called out carefully. This was the question they had decided to use in case either of them suspected the other as compromised. No one other than themselves would know how to answer.

"They're good as new," Harold replied in that strange tone of his. "But get out here, Eugene."

Keeping his pistol aloft, Eugene opened the back of the van and hopped out into the surprisingly light air. The two of them were outside their safe house, having stripped it of any evidence that the two of them had been there.

Harold was standing in the middle of the road, looking up to the sky. His face was pale and…

"Are you crying!?" Eugene asked, unable to believe what he was seeing. Harold was the toughest son of a bitch Eugene had ever met. Eugene followed Harold's gaze up into the sky and froze.

Something was wrong with the clouds as they slowly spun around a large hole in the sky. But it wasn't this that Eugene found shocking. It was the image within the hole. It was her legs, her eyes, her face… there was no doubting it. His wife's image, Abigail's image, rested up in the sky like a god watching over them.

"What…" Eugene blinked. "What's…"

"Do you see what I see?" Harold asked, his thick voice hoarse.

"…I see Abigail. As she was before…" Eugene gulped. "Before the inn."

"…I see Brisco." _Brisco_. Eugene had only heard Harold mention that name once before. Lewis Brisco was a famous boxer during the time that Harold was on the scene. It was the man that Harold had accidently killed during the match. Harold had related the story once and only once, telling Eugene never to bring it up again.

"How can we be seeing different things?"

Harold just shook his head. "I don't know. But… Do you think this is what Valentine was working on?"

Eugene looked to Harold sharply. "There were ten years before that happened."

"How else do you explain this? How else to you explain what we're seeing?"

"I…" For once, Eugene was lost for words. The two partners could only stand in the middle of the road, staring up at the image of their regrets high in the sky.

* * *

"What!? The Doomsday Clock has…" Lisa Valentine listened to the report on her transmission in shock. She was standing outside a secure door where her best doctors were operating on Jason Ryan's leg. Lisa's face had gone pale as whoever was on the other side of the phone continued to speak. "Outside?" Lisa seemed to find it hard to walk but she managed to make her way out of a door into an alleyway. As soon as the door closed behind her, Lisa heard strange low murmurings. She headed towards the main road and saw that traffic had seemed to come to a complete stop.

People had gotten out of their cars and were pointing up into the sky. Every single person had their head turned towards the sky. Lisa slowly looked up and her eyes widened.

Sitting inside a large hole in the unnaturally light clouds was the image of her two children, their limbs torn asunder. The sight was a fright to behold and Lisa found herself enraptured. At least, until the voice in her ear interrupted her thoughts. Lisa shook her head and focused on the words. "It suddenly sped up? Why? Christ…"

Lisa took a deep breath and found her balance again. She took one quick look at the image in the sky before heading back into the backdoor in the alley. "I'll be there as soon as possible. Don't do anything without my say-so!" Lisa took her finger off of her communicator and clenched her fists. This wasn't supposed to happen now. She was meant to have another ten years before the Doomsday Clock reached zero. If it was speeding up… Things just weren't ready yet.

Lisa Valentine would not be able to deal with the Apocalypse if this was truly the sign for the opening of the Gates.

* * *

 ** _A/N:- And that, I am very glad to say, is that. Oh boy, what a journey this has been for me. To be able to FINALLY finish a project... to finally be able to wrap things up the way I want them wrapped up, to be finally able to say what I want to say and see where these characters of mine end up. It's amazing. I had forgotten how good it is to finish a story - truly, finish it._**

 _ **But hey and ho, there is no rest for the wicked. Encore has been great to me. I've loved Sabrina and Ruby's relationship and everything else but time and I must move forward. So, comin' Thursday, the prologue of Final Destination: The Elimination Game will be published, and we will continue to tell the tales that lead up to the Apocalypse. But we got quite the ways and ways to go in the World's End Chronicles.**_

 _ **Thanks to those of you who read this, to those of you who will read this, I hope you will all tune in to see how these tales will unfold. Ruby and Jason (...and a certain disgruntled musician who I have not for one second forgotten about, trust me...) will continue to thrive and learn and developed. And more characters will enter the fray. From Lisa Valentine, the DSI, Eugene and Harold... I've got so much to say and so much to do and I am actually quivering in excitement. One story of World's End down, five more to go... and I'm raring for it!**_


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